Athlone Councillor calls for ban on e-scooters
An Athlone councillor has called for e-scooters to be banned.
Cllr Paul Hogan said there were "very few safety restrictions" on users of e-scooters during his comments on a motion raised by Cllr Frankie Keena at the monthly meeting of the Athlone-Moate Municipal District.
Cllr Keena had called on the council to install ramps either side of Scoil na gCeithre Maistri to slow down e-scooter users as they "travel at high speeds" past the school gates to and from the greenway, but Cllr Hogan stressed a desire to see them banned.
"These e-scooters are going faster then motorised e-scooters ever went. There are simply not enough regulations in place in terms of the dangers they pose. Regularly you see users tearing along on footpaths causing a danger to pedestrians and we really need to get a handle on this immediately or else there will be casualties," Cllr Hogan said. His view was supported by Cllr Aengus O'Rourke who said that he had users were completely "reckless" as they travelled at "high speed" along the greenway.
"These users seem to have complete disregard for pedestrians and cyclists using the greenway," Cllr O'Rourke stated.
He referenced a recent statistic from the College of Physicians which noted that e-scooters were the "leading cause of traumatic brain injury for children in 2025".
"What we can do to enforce regulations as a District I don't know, but this e-scooter recklessness simply has to stop," Cllr O'Rourke stated.
Calling for a thorough safety inspection at Scoil na gCeithre Maistri to "slow down a certain cohort of e-scooter users", Cllr Keena said he had received representations from the school principal who said the speed at which the e-scooters were travelling in the vicinity of the school was "a danger to staff and pupils".
"It must be fairly daunting to be knocked down by an e-scooter travelling at high speed and I want see action taken by District in some form to alleviate any concerns that the school may have," Cllr Keena said.
District Engineer Willie Ryan confirmed his willingness to meet Cllr Keena and the school principal on-site to see if a solution can be found to suit all parties involved.
"The location will be inspected, and improvement measures considered with regard to members’ priorities and the funding available," the council executive stated.
The District Engineers also stated that a safety audit of all schools in the district had taken place in 2025 and a priority list would be generated for the members.
"The district office is meeting the members in the coming weeks to review outcomes and agree a priority list for interventions at schools in the district. Works thereafter are subject to identifying a suitable funding source for project delivery," Mr Ryan concluded.