The Taoiseach, Tánaiste, Minister for Justice, Minister of State for Transport and the Garda Commissioner are to meet at Government Buildings this morning to discuss safety concerns around e-scooters.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin told the Dáil last week that he was leaning towards banning e-scooters, while Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly had said he would support a ban.
E-scooter users must be at least 16 years of age, and devices used on public roads cannot exceed a design speed of 20km/h.
Any measures must give clarity to e-scooter users and gardaí – Canney
Minister of State at the Department of Transport Seán Canney said any measures taken to deal with e-scooters must be effective and give clarity to e-scooter users and gardaí who have to enforce legislation.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Mr Canney said there are a number of options available around e-scooters – including an all-out ban.
“Most important to me is how quickly can we bring it in and how effective it will be… the status quo will not prevail.”
He said the negative effects of e-scooters on people’s lives, in particular children, must be considered.
“The Department of Health has completed a report for us that we will hopefully see this morning,” he added.
“The effect that e-scooters are having on people’s lives and children, and how many of them end up in hospital and the type of injuries they have, I think that’s very important when you’re making a decision on what road to pursue – that we have all the facts in front of us,” he said.
Mr Canney said legislation is also needed to protect gardaí in pursuit of e-scooters or scramblers and that gardaí are properly trained in that type of pursuit.
“Parents and guardians have a responsibility, and I would tell them that if you want your child to enjoy their summer, the last thing you should allow them to do is go on an e-scooter.
“You just need to look at the facts and figures from CHI in relation to the number of children who are in hospital as a result of e-scooter injuries, particularly those with head injuries,” Mr Canney added.
Meanwhile, the decision by two online retailers to remove some e-scooters from sale was welcomed by a number of politicians over the weekend.
Amazon and AliExpress said that they will not sell e-scooters that are not in compliance with Irish law.
Fine Gael’s Michael Murphy called on all retailers to follow the lead of Amazon and AliExpress and pull the sale of e-scooters until they comply with legislation in Ireland.
Mr Murphy was informed by Amazon at the weekend that the electric foldable e-scooter was removed from sale and an investigation is now under way at the online retail giant.
Mr Murphy said retailers must take responsibility for how they market and sell e-scooters.
He called on all retailers selling e-scooters, which are marketed at children or are capable of exceeding the legal speed limit, to remove them from sale on their platforms or shop floor.
Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman also welcomed the move and urged other retailers to follow suit.
In a statement he said that while the decision is welcome, “you could still go into a toy shop and buy an e-scooter for a child as young as six that is capable of travelling up to 16km/h. These vehicles should be banned outright”.