Hi all,
I see the new E scooter laws are to come into force soon:
the question I have is we (Santa) were going to get our two kids (8 and 11) some child E scooters something like this:
for the kids to scoot from our house to their friends within the estate, also in the park and also to the local shop about 5 mins down the road.
Is this now a non runner under the new laws as anyone using a scooter has to be 16+?
Why would you even consider giving an 8 year old a motorised vehicle that can travel at 25km/h and has absolutely no safety features so they can travel unsupervised in public? You shouldn't need laws to tell you that this isn't appropriate.
Yes that is my understanding. Under 16s will not be allowed to use them.
For such short journeys would you not thing your kids would be better walking or cycling? The exercise is essential for them.
The E scooter can be limited to 10kmph.
Its no different to giving one of the electric cars that they can sit into and goes at 10kph.
Both kids will be wearing all essential PPE and are used to cycling.
Yeah they have bikes and they get plenty of exercise through football, swimming and gymnastics plus general playing in the local field with their friends.
The scooters are what they’ve asked for off Santa and they because they can be speed limited plus they’ll be wearing all essential protective equipment- I don’t see an issue.
What part of the following can't you comprehend?
However, they added that there are some new rules specifically for e-scooter users. These include:
Typical Irish attitude...the rules don't apply to my kids.
Makes no odds either way - there will be zero enforcement of these laws
What’s with the attitude?
I haven’t read about the laws and I wondered was there an exemption if a KIDS scooter was used in a park for example.
No need for the smart remarks!
Possibly but if it’s now illegal I won’t be buying any.
No garda is going to be stopping teens or youngers for being on scooters.
It is another law that will not be enforced. I think gardai have plenty more important things to be at than trying to penalise minors for using escooters
Exactly. Wont be enforced but I suppose the idea is that a majority of people will be readable compliant.
What's an escooter defined as anyway? Is an ebike considered the same thing?
Well I mean it’s just a kids scooter with a battery that can be limited to 10KPH- it just seems crazy that the likes of that is illegal if the user is below 16 but driving something like this is legal (I presume?)
Power Wheels basically
not street legal I wouldn't presume without verification
Fair play to you, any kid I see on them around here is not wearing PPE and their parents have certainly not restricted them to 10kph and many of those kids would be 10 or 11. It's good to see a parent considering these things rather than them just buying a scooter without thinking of the legalities.
Why not spend a fraction of the money on something the kids will have to pedal or scoot themselves? It will be 100X better for their health and development, last 10 times as long before it breaks and gets turned into landfill and protect the kids from spiraling childhood obesity. Giving kids something with an electric motor to move around is ridiculous imo.
Thanks for the constructive reply SteM. Appreciate that.
The escooter we were looking at it is actually only €119.
As mentioned before the kids do have bikes, attend swimming, football and gymnastics classes. They also play with their friends in the local fields.
They are not as risk of obesity.
Parks aren't public roads so you can use them. However, you also asked about scooting around your estate and to the local shop which are public roads, so you can't use them for that purpose unless you are over 16.
Is it compulsary for them to wear a helmet?
Parks aren't public roads so you can use them.
Parks may have bylaws prohibiting their use irrespective of this legislation.
For example, the 2002 Dublin City parks and open space bylaws states:
4.6 (a): No person shall cycle or use any skateboard, roller skates, roller blades, or other vehicle in any park or open space except on such routes and in such places as may be designated by the Council for that purpose.
I wouldn't be surprised if such bylaws were updated to specifically cover e-scooters once the general legislation mentioned in the OP becomes law.
Tell them that santa is a boll1x and won't be able to deliver on the request due to bureaucratic red tape, safety laws and societal issues. It will be a good life lesson and they will appreciate, with hindsight the tough love santa dished out during Christmas '23 in later life 🙂
So scooters are compelled to use a cycle lane, but bicycles apparently are not. Who makes up these rules?
Why would parents restrict them to 10kph. Is there a law somewhere in relation to this?
I can see it now, a development of the them and us arguments. Cyclists won't use the lanes due to the scourge of lawless e-scooter riders 😂
I was referencing a post from the OP who said he would restrict them to 10kph for safety reasons if he bought them.
So that the kids get used to going at 10KPH.
Then you can gradually build the speed up.
You can cycle on the road, but not on a footpath.
But a cyclist appears to be free to use the road, even where there is a cycle lane. However a scotterist will not be allowed to do so, apparently. Why?
Historically, bikes have used the road. It's a fairly recent development that bike lanes have shared footpaths, and many experienced and old school cyclists feel uncomfortable sharing a space with slow moving pedestrians. If scooters are limited to 20km/hr they're probably safer on a cycle lane. Which, of course, begs the question: are the pedestrians (safe)?
It may be a law that won't be enforced, but it will give AGS the power to take the scooters off kids who are acting the knob. Probably couldn't (legally) all along, but now the law will be on their side.
I'll probably be in the minority here, but I don't think footpaths and cycle lanes should be shared. Bicycles are traffic and should be kept away from pedestrians. Given the speeds cyclists and escooters can go, they should be kept seperate to vulnerable people who use footpaths, elderly, children etc etc.
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