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Lord Mayor Brands Unlicenced E-Scooters A "Menace"

98FM News
98FM News

04:26 27 Apr 2019


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The Lord Mayor says people who use electric scooters without tax or insurance are a menace on the roads.

Gardaí have been stopping e-scooter riders on the streets of the capital and fining users, according to the Sunday Times Ireland.

Speaking at an event in Cabra earlier, Councillor Nial Ring said he backed the force's actions.

"Without tax and insurance they're more or less a menace on the road. You see the guys going around and they don't wear helmets, they don't wear high-viz -- there's no indication that these things are going around," he said.

"Look, no matter what speed they're going at, whether it's ten miles [per hour] or twenty kilometres, if you're hit by one of these things you're going to be severely injured."

Minister for Transport Shane Ross has asked the Road Safety Authority to prepare a report on e-scooters with a view to bringing in regulations.

The battery-powered devices have gained traction recently among Dubliners looking for a handy way to get around town.

Strictly speaking, the e-scooters are classed as mechanically-propelled vehicle, and so must be taxed and insured to be go out on the roads.

Mike McKillen, spokesperson for bike advocacy group Cyclist.ie says the law is the law -- but e-scooters are ultimately a good thing, because they take cars off the road.

He says as long as they're limited to 25km/h as electronically-assisted bicycles are, then there's no reason they shouldn't be using cycle paths too.


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