‘They ain’t going away’ – Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown councillors divided over e-scooter removal from mobility hub plans
Plans for a network of mobility hubs across Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown have been approved, with councillors divided over the decision to remove shared e-scooters from the pilot scheme.
The first phase of the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Mobility Hubs Pilot will comprise 64 locations, down from the 73 originally proposed.
The revised Part 8 plans were adopted by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council at its September full council meeting.
One of the major changes is the removal of shared e-scooters from the national mobility hubs pilot following changes to national regulations.
The space originally allocated for e-scooters will instead be retained for potential expansion of e-bikes and other forms of micromobility.
The mobility hubs are designed to provide access to shared transport options including e-bikes, e-cargo bikes and electric vehicles, with the aim of improving connections between public transport and people’s final destinations.
Of the 64 hubs, 59 will cater for micromobility only, while five locations will also include electric vehicle car-sharing infrastructure.
However, the removal of shared e-scooters from the pilot proved contentious among councillors.
Green Party councillor Tom Kivlehan said he was “disappointed” that e-scooters had been removed, arguing the pilot could have provided an opportunity to test how a “regulated e-scooter system would work”.
“I’d like to welcome this. I think it’s a great initiative by the Minister of Transport in providing the money for this,” he said.
“But I’m disappointed because it was an opportunity to put some regulation on scooters to include them in this system.
“We have some new laws passed, and we could see how it works. And by not including them, undermines the new laws that are coming in. It would give people an opportunity to see how a regulated e-scooter system would work, and I’m just sorry that that hasn’t come in.
“I would hope in tranche two that we would consider e-scooters because they ain’t going away, they will be there as part of our transport system, and we need to look at a way in which we deal with them.”
The decision comes as new national regulations governing e-scooter use are being introduced.
Last week, Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien introduced regulations to raise the minimum age for e-scooter users from 16 to 18 years of age, with the change due to come into effect on October 2. Riders are now required to wear a helmet and high-visibility vest, while further regulations are due to come into force cracking down on the sale of scooters that can travel faster than the legal 20kmh.
Green Party councillor Eva Dowling also criticised the removal of e-scooters, saying it would affect younger people and students.
“Overall, this pilot is extremely welcome. It will bring much-needed access to transport for many of our citizens, and open up our county for residents and visitors alike,” she said.
“It also serves the 38,000 students enrolled in Ireland’s largest university, University College Dublin, which sits in the Stillorgan Ward, which is the ward that I represent.”
“Whilst I recognise that this was a political decision taken by central government, it would be remiss of me not to state that the removal of e-scooters from this pilot was a spineless decision that will disproportionately affect younger people and students living in the area, who wish to travel to the various third-level offerings in this county.”
Some councillors welcomed the removal of e-scooters from the national pilot scheme.
Fianna Fáil councillor Justin Moylan said: “There’s an ambiguity in there that I don’t think is required or necessary at the moment, and I think that’s a good thing to have done.”
Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil councillor Michael Clark questioned the use of public money on the project.
“I don’t think that the use of taxpayers’ money in this case is warranted. I think there are many other priorities that this council could be looking at that the public would be happier to spend money on,” he said.
The mobility hubs form part of a national pilot led by the National Transport Authority, with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown selected as the Greater Dublin Area location.