The mother of a teenager who died after a crash in north Dublin has pledged to “fight” to get scrambler bikes and e-scooters off the streets.
Grace Lynch died after an incident on the Ratoath Road in Finglas on Sunday afternoon.
More than 1,000 people gathered on Monday evening to retrace a route walked by Grace on the day she died.
Grace’s mother, Siobhán Lynch, held a sign with a picture of her daughter with the words “justice for Grace” as she led the walk from Valley Park estate to Plunkett Green.
Siobhán Lynch holds a picture of her daughter Grace, who died in a crash involving a scrambler bike in Finglas. Photograph: Colin Keegan/Collins
“Justice for Grace, justice for my daughter,” Ms Lynch said as she walked the route.
“Justice for Grace, get the scramblers off the streets.”
At Plunkett Green, the crowd of friends, neighbours and locals sang Grace and released pink balloons into the air.
Ms Lynch thanked people for coming out on the walk, and said: “I will fight to get these scramblers and scooters and everything off these streets.”
She said watching her daughter “take her last breath was the worst pain imaginable”.
“It’s not something that any parent should have to deal with,” she said as she pledged to launch a campaign.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said scramblers “are a scourge on our communities” that needed to be tackled.
“People have a right to be safe and secure on their streets and in public spaces,” she said on X.
“We need stronger laws and we need them enforced including more vehicles, drones and training for the gardaí to take on this scourge before another life is lost.”
Two teenagers on the bike, an adult male and a male juvenile, were treated for “non life-threatening” injuries after the incident on Sunday.
A man in his late teens was arrested on Sunday evening.
Pink balloons are released in Finglas in memory of Grace Lynch. Photograph: Gráinne Ní Aodha/PA Wire
Despite numerous calls for action on scrambler bikes and electric scooters, there was little optimism on Monday that anything would be done to curtail them.
“They need a big clampdown on these bikes,” said Ann, a woman in her 60s. “It’s gone beyond a joke now. What happened to that young girl, it broke everyone’s heart in Finglas. A young girl, her life taken for what? Nothing.”
Derek Murphy, a local man in his 50s, said he was “sick of bikes and scooters flying up and down”.
Catherine Crosby, a community activist, said she felt “pure shock” when she heard of the fatal incident.
Grace Lynch. Photograph: rip.ie
“Every day you see them flying up and down, scooters, scramblers. [The drivers] have scarves up around their faces – you can’t even see who they are. It’s scary and there’s nothing been done about it.”
Asked if she thought the death of Grace on Sunday would encourage young scrambler drivers to moderate their speed, she said: “No. I am sorry to say it. But no. Somebody needs to step up and take these damn scooters and scramblers off these kids. The parents need to step up.”
John, a local man in his 60s who did not want to give his surname, said scrambler bikes and e-scooters were “all up and down [the roads] all day, every day”.
“It’s not just Finglas, it’s all working-class areas and the politicians just give it all that, all mouth and do nothing about it.
“They should definitely be banned. If they are not being used in field or track then just ban them.”
He said there should be a scrambler track for young people to use them safely, and help remove the vehicles from the roads.
[ Gardaí not allowed use drones to track scrambler bikes ‘terrorising communities’Opens in new window ]
“There is plenty of room around here to use to build one. Why hasn’t there been something like that built in Dunsink? It would take some of them off the roads. There has to be some sort of action. There has to be, but I don’t have much faith. Places like Finglas don’t get a look-in.”
Local councillor Conor Reddy said the incident was “tragic”, and said his thoughts were with Grace’s family and friends.
“Scramblers have been an issue as long as I can remember in Finglas [and in] many other working-class communities,” he said on X.
“Successive Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael governments have done nothing to meaningfully reduce danger or to improve outcomes for anybody.” – Additional reporting PA