E-scooters making public 'very nervous' of accidents

MEMBERS of the Clare public have become “very nervous” over the potential of accidents due to e-scooters, a disability activist has claimed while the Chief Superintendent has stressed that such vehicles need to be insured, writes Páraic McMahon

CLARE was at the centre of the launch of the €1 billion European Social Fund Plus on Tuesday where the local Youth Diversion Projects operated by Clare Youth Service and Clare Gardaí were showcased as examples of the impacts of European social funding in local areas, writes Páraic McMahon Minister at the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation & Science and acting Minister for Justice, Simon Harris (FG) hosted the launch.

A live presentation was made by the Youth Diversion Projects in Clare who also showed a pre-recorded video and conducted a Q&A.

Pat McMullin of Clare Youth Service said it was a great honour to be chosen from all the European Social Fund projects in Ireland. “We are very proud of this project and of our partnership with Clare Gardaí that has steered so many young people into positive futures. Today’s event was a great endorsement by the Commission and the government here of the huge impact of the work”.

The partnership between Clare Youth Service and Clare Gardaí goes back over 50 years but was given extra impetus and resources with the creation of the Diversion Projects two decades ago.

Ennis Superintendent John Ryan has hailed the impact of the Clare projects, “this work in Ennis and Kilrush takes place quietly but very effectively with great results for the young people, their families and communities. We are delighted that the EU and the national exchequer has recognised the results today.”

The ESF Plus programme will see Ireland benefit from €508 million in ESF+ funds from the European Union for the 2021-2027 period. This, together with a planned national contribution of €573m, will amount to a total budget of over €1 billion. The Programme will fund a range of schemes, implemented by different Government Departments and Agencies.

The Youth Diversion Projects are one of the activities that will be co-funded under the programme.

Dermot Hayes of the Clare Leader Forum said issues relating to e-scooters has frequently been brought to their attention. “People are very nervous about accidents,” he told a meeting of the Clare Joint Policing Committee (JPC).

Corofin native Hayes asked what legislation Gardaí were working off to deal with e-scooters, “What authority have you for people parking on footpaths and streets, what measures can be taken”.

Chief Superintendent, Colm O’Sullivan responded that new legislation was proposed but that he wasn’t overly familiar with it at this stage.

“An e scooter is classed as a mechanically propelled vehicle, for that you have to have a licence, it has to have tax or insurance. We are seizing those vehicles but they are being used, until new legislation comes in I don’t know what is going to happen in the future, they have to be insured”.

O’Sullivan explained, “Under the road traffic act, it is illegal to park on the footpath, if it is parked on the footpath they can get a fine on the spot, it doesn’t attract penalty points but it is a fine of €6080”.

A new Road Traffic and Roads Bill which will allow for the regulation of the use of e-scooters is expected to be passed by the Oireachtas by the end of this month. It is currently illegal to use e-scooters in a public space.

Gardaí recorded a total of 746 traffic incidents involving e-scooters last year, including 554 collisions, while 305 of the vehicles have been seized since 2020. Setting a 20km/h factory set speed limit for e-scooters and larger wheels has been recommended by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) who also maintained the use of helmets should be made compulsory for using e-scooters, as well as a minimum age of 16.

In a report by the ETSC in conjunction with the UK Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, a proposal was issued to ban the use of e-scooters on footpaths as well as users carrying passengers. The recommendations were made in what it called a rapid growth of e-scooter usage over the last five years.

Hospital studies, vehicle safety testing and international research were taken into account by the ETSC when compiling the report.

They showed that both a rider and pedestrian were likely to suffer severe injuries in a collision with an e-scooter travelling at 20km/h, with the pedestrian more likely to suffer fatal injuries.

Studies estimated that collisions resulting in injury are up to 10 times higher for e-scooter riders than cyclists.

The ETSC said the number of casualties from collisions involving e-scooters were underreported but studies to date had shown 20-50% of casualties attending hospital had suffered head injuries with very few riders wearing helmets. In addition, a majority of riders were involved in single vehicle collisions, while intoxication of e-scooter users appeared a problem.