Photo: TIER

Irish government approves legislation on e-scooters

21 October 2021

by Christopher Carey

The Irish Government has approved a new Road Traffic Bill which, for the first time, legislates on the use of e-scooters and e-bikes on roads.

The bill still needs to be passed by the Oireachtas (National Parliament) but this is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Ireland’s Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said: “We committed in the Programme for Government to resolving legal barriers to the use of e-scooters, as well as e-bikes, and this bill will deliver on both of those commitments.”

Rules of the road

The legislation outlines that speed limits will be set at no less than six kilometres per hour (kph) and no more than 25kph, but cities will be given the power to set a lower 20kmph speed limit for e-scooters on specified roads, or parts of roads.

E-scooters will be prohibited on motorways and busways but allowed on cycle routes, and it will be an offence to use mobile phones while riding.

While the process has not been finalised, a spokesperson from the Irish Department of Transport told Cities Today that new regulations will apply to “both privately owned and rental e-scooters”, indicating that the use of privately owned e-scooters on roads will be permitted.

More than 20 operators have already expressed interest in launching shared e-scooter services both in Dublin and in towns and cities around the country.

Dublin pilot

In July, micromobility firm TIER launched an e-scooter pilot project for staff and students on five Dublin City University campuses.

The pilot – coordinated by Smart DCU and Insight, the Irish research centre for data analytics – is currently testing 30 TIER e-scooters using Luna computer vision technology and artificial intelligence (AI) models, and is expected to finish in early 2022.

The technology can detect pedestrians, as well as understand what surface or lane the scooter is being ridden on to prevent them being used on footpaths.

Benjamin Bell, TIER’s Director of Public Policy for Northern Europe, said: “We are confident that – with this strong legislation approved by Cabinet – we are one step closer to not only legally having e-scooters in Ireland, but also ensuring the country has one of the safest e-scooter regimes in Europe.”

Booking option

Taxi app FREE NOW has also welcomed the introduction of legislation, with the company planning on launching a new e-scooter booking option via its app in the coming months.

The firm says 40 percent of its passengers have indicated they intend to use e-scooters for everyday transport following the passing of legislation.

“We are currently progressing discussions with a range of e-scooter providers to facilitate e-scooter integration on the FREE NOW app in Ireland over the coming months,” Niall Carson, General Manager for FREE NOW Ireland, said.

“We are committed to partnering with reputable, high quality operators who prioritise passenger experience and place utmost importance on safety standards.”

Ireland is one of the last countries in Europe to legislate on e-scooters, though their private use is widespread in cities across the country.

Image: TIER

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