Shared e-scooters set to roll out in Cork by next year
Cork Chaoimh David At Former Td Senator Ladies' Along Demonstration Jerry Cork E And Of Pairc Footballer The New James Taking All Keane The In With In Ui Buttimer Picture: Valerie O'connor Part Senior And Mulcahy, Star Scooters
Ireland is one of the last EU countries to fully embrace e-scooters, but as legislation for “Powered Personal Transporters” like e-scooters and e-bikes looks to be in place by next year, many companies are now vying to set up scooter-sharing schemes across the country.
Superpedestrian is one such company that already operates shared e-scooter fleets in 50 cities including Los Angeles, Madrid, Stockholm, Rome and Vienna.
“Shared e-scooter schemes can play a role in helping cities to transition to more sustainable transport networks by giving people an alternative to the private car for short journeys, a lower carbon mode of transport, and can also improve air quality and ease congestion,” said Ireland and UK Policy Director for Superpedestrian, Jean Andrews.
Ms Andrews highlighted the ways in which AI technology can be used to ensure safety for both e-scooter riders and pedestrians. Superpedestrian e-scooters can tell if someone is riding on paths, in pedestrianised or prohibited areas, going the wrong way down a street or over a speed limit, or even if they are just driving erratically, and slow down or cut off power to the e-scooter.
CLIMATE & SUSTAINABILITY HUB
It is hoped that e-scooter share schemes could be installed not only in city centres, but in areas such as large towns which may lack connectivity between residential areas and its public transport hubs.
Superpedestrian say their scooters will cost approximately 20-25 cent per minute to use, with a €1 “check out fee”. A trip from Kent Station to UCC would cost approximately €4, and take 15 minutes.
Legislation for e-scooters is currently in the draft stage, within the Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill. The legislation is expected to be enacted sometime next year, and will treat e-scooters similarly to pedal bikes, not requiring tax, insurance or driving licences.
The draft legislation does include a minimum age requirement of 16 to operate an e-scooter, and a maximum design speed of 25 km/h.
Fianna Fáíl Transport spokesperson, and member of the Oireachtas Transport Committee, James O’Connor said that e-scooters offer an exciting opportunity for Cork.
“They're very exciting in the context of Cork because with the topography of the city, there's a lot of scope for them to be used here, and also in some of the major rural towns surrounding the city, particularly in places like Midleton, Mallow, Fermoy, Youghal, Ballincollig,” he said.
“These will make a tremendous difference to how people get around in terms of their day-to-day travel and transport,” he added.
Although optimistic about the opportunities an e-scooter scheme could bring, Deputy O’Connor said there is still a lot of work to be done to finalise legislation, which he expects will be in place by next Spring.
“There have been many delays on the legislation, because there are a lot of questions that need to be answered. I think that if we can get the legislation right, we can answer questions around insurance, the safety aspect, and some of the teething problems that would come with this new technology,” he said.