New e-scooter regulations come into effect from next week

New regulations for e-scooters, e-bikes and e-mopeds are being added into Irish legislation. 

Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan and Minister of State Jack Chambers are welcoming the commencement of these new regulations under the Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023.

The laws that set out new legal and safe technical parameters and usage of e-scooters, e-bikes and e-mopeds will come into effect from Monday, May 20.

The new regulations state that users of e-scooters on public roads must be 16 or over, because of safety concerns for young users and other road users. 

People over 16 will be able to use their e-scooters in cycle lanes and bus lanes, but not footpaths or pedestrianised zones. They are also banned from carrying other passengers or goods.

The only e-scooters that are legal to use on public roads are vehicles with a maximum power output of 400 W or less, a maximum design speed of 20km/h and with a maximum weight of 25 kg.

Any e-scooter that goes over these parameters, such as more powerful and heavier e-scooters, will remain illegal. 

The introduction of these new rules provides a legal basis for the correct way of using light electric vehicles and will help to improve the safety for other road users as well as the vehicle users themselves.

The Gardaí and Road Safety Authority have been involved in the development of these regulations and An Garda Síochána will be responsible for their enforcement.

Minister Ryan spoke out about the introduction of these new laws to say, “These regulations, which are just one part of the comprehensive Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023, will help make our roads safer for all road users and give legal certainty to those who are choosing to get around on new forms of mobility”.

“Over the past few years, we’ve seen more and more e-scooter and e-bikes on our roads. Since they first appeared, many have developed and have become more powerful and these regulations set out clearly how they can all be used in our evolving transport landscape, safely and with respect for other road users, in particular those most vulnerable on our roads like pedestrians and cyclists”. 

The Minister for Transport continued, “They will also help future-proof Ireland’s regulatory system to ensure that we can adapt to new technologies as they continue to emerge”.

“I hope these provisions will also give confidence to more people to choose new ways to travel that help them avoid congestion and gridlock. They will also contribute to freeing up road space, which in turn means that we can allocate more space to provide improved, faster and more frequent public transport and walking and cycling infrastructure for everyone”.