Council looks at e-scooter rental scheme

Cavan County Council is exploring the viability of introducing electric scooters and e-bikes for rent around the county town.

The local authority has contacted several operators of such schemes ahead of new legislation to allow these modern, carbon-friendly modes of transport be used on public roads.

Under the current Road Traffic laws, electric scooters, or e-scooters, are defined as mechanically propelled vehicles requiring valid registration, licence, tax and insurance. The imminent proposed Road Traffic and Roads Bill will remove e-scooters from this category, classifying them instead as ‘powered personal transporters’.

Concern over their use at present, by users either not wearing hi-visibility clothing or safety gear, was raised at last Monday’s monthly meeting of councillors. But it was revealed at that same meeting (November 14) that the appearance of e-scooters and e-bikes will become even more commonplace on local roads with the executive already working on proposals to introduce a rental scheme locally, starting with Cavan Town.

“We’re currently and actively looking at the potential for an e-scooter and e-bike rental scheme here in the county,” informed Director of Services Paddy Connaughton, reiterating to The Anglo-Celt what he had earlier told the elected members.

He explained: “We see e-scooters and e-bikes very much part of the overall jigsaw and the approach to climate sustainability and reduction on car dependency. We see them as an essential element to our Active Travel Programme also. However, we are conscious that, at present, there is a lack of regulation around them and this is being addressed with the Bill and regulations that are progressing through the Dáil and Seanad.”

While the council awaits the outcome of said legislation, Mr Connaughton was reluctant to place a timeframe on when such a scheme might come to fruition.

But he said, in order to make headway, the council has already contacted a number of providers who have, in return, expressed an interest in supporting a roll-out of an e-scooter and e-bike scheme in the county.

Security and parking of e-scooters and e-bikes, issues deemed problematic in other jurisdictions where schemes are already operating, would be “addressed” as part of the overall support infrastructure.

“We feel the county town has the scale to build a scheme of this nature out, and we have had a number of communications with UK-based companies that are willing to set up a scheme here, so we’re positive about the direction being taken.”

Councillors were first alerted to the proposal after Fine Gael’s Peter McVitty raised for discussion the current regulations for e-scooters and e-bikes.

He had, himself, “witnessed” an incident involving an e-scooter user who subsequently suffered serious injuries, and warned that their use on footpaths in towns and villages is a further “accident waiting to happen”.

He then asked that the Celt and other media present encourage members of the public to wear hi-viz clothing, especially in these darkened winter months.

“Someone is going to get seriously injured,” he lamented.

Fine Gael’s TP O’Reilly said that e-scooter and e-bike riders’ not wearing safety gear was “deadly dangerous”; while Independent Brendan Fay further claiming “it’s an accident that’s already happened”.

Cllr Madeleine Argue (FG) questioned who was responsible if an accident occurred while a person was riding a device on a footpath, revealing how she was given a “telling off” by a skateboarder who almost collided with the door of her car.

Aontú’s Sarah O’Reilly said it was important not to vilify people who “can’t afford to run a car” and use e-scooters and e-bikes to get to work.

She furthermore asked that, whatever scheme is eventually introduced, it is “not cost prohibitive”.

Fianna Fáil’s Aiden Fitzpatrick agreed, while Winston Bennett (FG) said he saw no problem with e-scooters and e-bikes so long as riders compiled with the “rules”.

Sinn Féin’s Paddy McDonald requested that e-scooters and e-bikes have a “siren” or artificial noise added amid concerns about the posed danger to pedestrians.

The same, he said, applies to electric cars.