rsa supporting e-scooters

As with most things it depends, some hub motors are direct drive, some are geared and some are multi geared with Roloff or Enviolo hub shifters and a Mid drive motor running through a belt drive setup (high end stuff like Reise and Muller) the torque from these is astounding and makes the cargo bikes they sell very able to shift large and heavy objects.

I was driving back fron Howth the other evening, two lads on an e-scooter with slightly bigger wheels but no massive. Saw them in the village and they took off towards Sutton. Couldn't catch them, traffic moving around 40-50kph. They must have been hitting 45 in places with two lads (late teens or early 20's) so not kids. They thing was flying and definitely not 250W. Braver than me with wheels that small.

But that's at a time when they are technically illegal and there are few of them. What kind of numbers will we get when they are properly regulated and there are far more of them?

In comparison with other forms there are few of them and you'd expect quite a surge once the regulations are sorted out and in place. I've nothing against them being used but there are some very zippy ones out there, which is problematic, and some road behaviour that is little more than spur of the moment reaction. Ultimately there may be issues for pedestrians.

According to another Times article linked from that one (https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2022/08/10/two-deaths-and-42-serious-injuries-caused-by-collisions-involving-e-scooters-since-start-of-2020/) there've been 2 deaths and 42 "serious" injuries in the same period related to scooters. There are of course caveats in that the data came from AGS, and there was a discussion elsewhere in the forum about the statistical quality of same. Also it comes with a warning about the usual bemoaning in the article on lack of helmet use despite most of the injuries seeming to be fractures. Not sure how these numbers would stack up against comparable statistics for bikes were they to be scaled, though I suspect that

According to the article MB posted, there've been 269 seizure since early 2020 - mostly around Dublin, I'd imagine to get seized you'd have to be taking the mick really, but in the legislative vacuum you're always at the (probably small) risk of running foul of some Guard that got out of the wrong side of the bed that morning

Anecdotally some of those reporting they had scooters seized were just commuting. I think they just unlucky to get caught in temporary surge of interest from Garda. Usually in one location.

The stats on normal cycling fines seem to suggest similar.

It makes me wonder. A lot of these are designed for drier climates like southern Europe but they also get rain there and given that these are often parked outside rain ingress must be an issue. I don't really understand why something like that wouldn't be made fully waterproof.

Looking at the scooters I am not sure where the rain would get in - the display on the handle maybe?

You'll have to bate the car drivers out with a nailed stick to reduce congestion/pollution. So tis looking like a congestion charge, and should be a higher charge for single occupancy.

Public transport ..for this country read bus. Should be upgraded (so it actually works and is pleasant) and should be free....for awhile.

250w pedal assist (15mph) is grand for anyone doing anything. Small foldable electric bikes are grand . Electric scooters are illegal and this should be enforced. They have crappy wheels and are unstable.

So saythed me the great.

Seizures seem to be at the whim of Gardai IMO. Met someone recently who was upset to have had the scooter confiscated but language barrier didn't clear up why.

It can also mean vandalism, intimidation, and hanging around places they shouldn't. But I would say the main bottom line is you wouldn't be confiscated if you didn't fail the don't be a dick to a garda test tbh.

btw I'd use it in wider context than just teenagers. "Who was on the spin?" Me: "all the usual gang"

It should be but is isn't. I recently bought a very premium 250W e-scooter (claimed) that also claims to boost to 500W, and it won't go up a moderately steep hill at any speed. By which I mean it stops.

Based on my experience there is no legal e-scooter which is usable except on flat terrain.

I guess the issue is lack of torque, if that power is made only at an unsustainable speed. The scooter will do 25-30kph on the flat.

I bought one of these back in 2018 to commute to and from work, at the time it seemed like legislation would come in very soon. 4 years later, still waiting, sold my Scooter in the meantime and bought a car for the commute. I wonder how many other people are in the same boat. Perfect transport to get cars off the road, but the government has been dragging it out forever now.