No signs for e-scooters in Laois could end in serious disaster
E-scooters have been banned from footpaths since May 2024 but no signs have been erected by Laois County Council because they 'aren't in the manual'. File image
SIGNS warning that e-scooters are banned on footpaths have not been erected in Laois because they aren’t in the county council’s ‘Traffic Signs Manual’.
That was the response given at a council meeting to cllr Aidan Mullins, who refused to accept the reply and insisted that signs must be installed despite their absence from the manual.
The Portarlington councillor said it was a safety issue and there have been accidents involving e-scooters on footpaths in the town, where they are being driven at speeds of up to 25kph.
“At least if we had signs up we could say to the individuals, did you not see the sign?” he told the September meeting of Graiguecullen-Portarlington Municipal District.
Cllr Mullins had asked the council to erect signs indicating that e-scooters are banned on footpaths, following the introduction of legislation last May.
In a written reply to the proposal, assistant engineer John Purcell said: ‘There is no regulatory sign in the Traffic Signs Manual indicating that e-scooters are prohibited to use footpaths. The road traffic regulations 2024 provides that signs for bicycle use will also apply to e-scooters.’ Dissatisfied with the response, cllr Mullins asked who produced the manual used by the council. Senior engineer Philip McVeigh replied that the manual is produced by the Department of Transport.
Cllr Mullins insisted that there was nothing to prevent the council putting up signs, whether or not they were in the manual. He said he would take up the issue with the assistant engineer, as warning signs must be installed in the interest of public safety.
He said: “Many people don’t understand that it’s only since May that it is illegal to use e-scooters on footpaths and we don’t have signs telling them that. There is going to be a serious accident and there have already been some accidents in Portarlington." He added that e-scooters are being driven at speeds of up to 25kph or more on footpaths by people, including children, who aren’t wearing protective helmets.
Independent cllr Ben Brennan agreed with the proposal, saying that e-scooters are “up and down on footpaths the whole time” in Graiguecullen.
