E-scooters are being ‘treated like toys, when they’re actually dangerous weapons’
An e-scooter seized from two teenagers in Cork City by gardaí, who said the owner was given two €50 fines, one for carrying a passenger and one for the vehicle having a seat. Picture: An Garda Síochána
"My heart absolutely sinks every time I hear the roar of a scrambler, or see an e-scooter flying down a narrow footpath."
Just days after the Government announced plans to tackle the risks associated with e-scooters, communities have spoken of a daily fear of tragedy and warned new legislation would be meaningless without increased enforcement.
Under current legislation, e-scooters must not be operated by under-16s, but the medical community has enough horror stories to suggest this law is often unenforced.
E-scooters cannot be driven on footpaths or have more than one rider, and they must obey a speed limit of 20km/h.
A daily stroll through any community will offer many examples of these rules being broken.
The Government has now announced that from August, the ban on operating e-scooters will be extended to all under 18s, and high-visibility jackets and helmets will be mandatory.
Later this year, legislation will be introduced requiring licensing and registration of e-scooters, and shops will be banned from selling them to minors.
“An outright ban will remain on the table,” a Government spokesperson said.
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The has heard from communities across Cork on the extent of the e-scooter problem.
Eugene Brady, from Mayfield, said his grandson was involved in an accident on an e-scooter last year and was lucky to escape without serious injury.
“He got off just in time,” he said.
“They’re dangerous to people on them, and they’re dangerous to people walking around.”
He accepted the Government's proposed ban on under-18s would be hard to enforce.
“It’s like giving a child a toy, then saying you can’t have it. At the moment, you can still go into a toy shop and buy them.”
Michelle Buckley, a volunteer with Mahon Tidy Towns and Foróige, is seeing children as young as eight on e-scooters.
“They use the footpaths, which is dangerous for the elderly and people walking with buggies.
“The speeds they’re going! A woman over by Lakelands was involved in an incident with an e-scooter, and she got hurt.
“I don’t think these young people even know the speed limits — for children under 16, parents should be held accountable,” she said.
“Schools should be bringing awareness about road safety, wearing helmets — it’s a motorised vehicle, so you should have to do your theory test, have lessons, apply for a license, and have it taxed and registered.”
Ms Buckley is not in favour of an outright ban, as this would affect people “using them responsibly”, such as adults who can't afford a car for travelling to work.
Blackpool Community Centre chairperson Louise Jordan said e-scooters and scramblers were now “a big problem" in the area.
“Older people do not feel safe walking on footpaths," she said.
"I appreciate the gardaí can’t chase the riders, but they have lost control of the situation now, and it will take ages to retrieve."
She also cautioned against an outright ban, saying: “There are lots of people using e-scooters to commute to work and school — more cycle lanes should protect them from injury.”
Another woman, who lives in Mayfield but did not wish to be named, has seen young people wearing balaclavas as they speed through the community on e-scooters.
“They’re also using them for drug activity. They’re up and down the main road, obstructing traffic, down footpaths, and into playgrounds where young kids are playing.
Since May 2024, when legislation was first introduced, there have been just 48 fines issued in Cork City for breaches of e-scooter laws.
Independent councillor Kieran McCarthy warned electric motorcycles and scramblers are another source of concern.
"Recently, a handful of young individuals were speeding up and down The Marina, through Mahon, and also on the Douglas Road, on electric motorcycles — moving at pace, doing wheelies, moving in and out of traffic on the roads," he said.
“They wore balaclavas and were provoking people, looking for a chase… the behaviour of the individuals involved was frightening people, reckless, and life-threatening if you didn’t jump out of the way.”
On this occasion, gardaí spoke to some of the young people and confiscated several motorbikes.
Worker’s Party councillor Jerrica Struthers said she feared for the safety of small children.
My heart absolutely sinks every time I hear the roar of a scrambler or see an e-scooter flying down a narrow footpath.
"These machines are being clocked at mental speeds, treated like toys, when they're actually dangerous weapons.
“They're tearing up paths meant for pedestrians, kids playing, mothers with buggies, workers walking to the bus, wheelchair users, and the elderly.
“I worry for the people riding these bikes and scooters as well. If a car even clips one of them, the person on that scooter is going to end up in a critical condition.
“We need an outright commercial and road ban on e-scooters.”
Independent Ireland’s Noel O’Flynn said he would also support an outright ban, calling the latest proposed legislation “piecemeal”.
“Any step in the right direction is important, but I don’t think it’s going to work," he said.
Labour councillor Peter Horgan said a lack of Garda resources would hinder proper enforcement, a sentiment echoed by Sinn Féin TD Thomas Gould.
“I am deeply concerned that there are simply not enough Garda resources to tackle scramblers and enforce new rules on e-scooters in Cork," Mr Gould said.
“It is unfair on gardaí and communities to make these promises without the resources to enforce them.”
A Garda spokesperson said: “An Garda Síochána continues to adopt a proactive approach in addressing the illegal and dangerous use of scramblers, quads, e-bikes, and e-scooters.
“There is an array of current legislation that tackles this problem. This legislation provides powers to seize, detain, and dispose of illegal vehicles that are being used in any public spaces.
“An Garda Síochána is appealing to parents and guardians to ensure that their children do not have access to e-scooters.”
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