'Like giving children a loaded gun': Mayo cllrs demand crackdown on e-scooter use

Not for the first time, the use of e-scooters on footpaths was the focus of attention for Mayo County Councillors

By Jack Good Published 14th Jul 2026, 18:00 BST E-scooters | FILE PHOTOGRAPH / PIXABAY Not for the first time, the use of e-scooters on footpaths was the focus of attention for Mayo County Councillors Sign up to our Mayo Live newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know you can manage your profile, and explore all of the available newsletters from Mayo Live within your account.

Members of Mayo's Roads Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) have warned of an e-scooter "plague" on the county's footpaths, with one councillor describing the devices in the hands of children as being "like giving children a loaded gun."

The comment, made by Cllr Michael Burke, captured the tone of a wide-ranging discussion at a recent SPC meeting, where councillors and gardaí set out growing concerns over the number of young people using e-scooters unsafely — and often illegally — in towns across the county.

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Opening the discussion, Dave Tiernan, Roads Policing Inspector for the Mayo, Roscommon and Longford division, told members that e-scooters were becoming an increasingly visible issue locally, even if the county was not yet experiencing the scale of problems seen in Ireland's cities.

"It's not something that's major in this part of the world at the moment, but it is getting more common, and I have no doubt it will get more common," he said. "They are a huge problem in cities. We're not seeing it as much here."

Giving his personal view, Inspector Tiernan did not hold back: "In my own opinion, they should be banned altogether."

Inspector Tiernan outlined the regulations introduced in 2024 governing the use of e-scooters. Under the rules, users must be at least 16 years of age, and devices are limited to a maximum speed of 20km/h and a maximum continuous power output of 400 watts. E-scooters cannot carry passengers, and their use on footpaths is prohibited.

Read More Mayo councillor calls for crackdown on dangerous e-scooter use across Mayo Mayo councillor fears e-scooters will cause serious accident Mayo Gardaí arrest rider of illegal E-scooter over drink driving Mayo Roads SPC members warn of E-scooters 'epidemic' Enforcement, however, remains a challenge. Inspector Tiernan said gardaí had issued approximately 20 fixed charge notices, carrying a €50 fine, though he cautioned that "in our pulse it is difficult to get exact figures." He said that while recorded numbers were low, gardaí retained powers to seize e-scooters, and one arrest had already been made in Ballina under drink-driving legislation.

Riders who exceed the 20km/h speed limit can be prosecuted under general road traffic legislation, a process that must go before the courts. He noted that his division does have specialist equipment — a dynamometer, described by Inspector Tiernan as "a big machine that goes in the boot of a car" — but he noted that only a small number of gardaí in the northwest region were trained to use it. More compact devices capable of testing both speed and weight are expected to become available, allowing trained PSV inspectors in each division to examine e-scooters involved in serious collisions.

"Education, obviously, [in addition] to enforcement is a key role," he said, adding: "We would love if people and their parents would stop buying these, but I don't believe they will go away."

Cllr Michael Burke was the most forceful voice on the issue, telling the meeting that e-scooters had become "a plague on our society."

He said the devices were routinely being used by children as young as 10 to 14 years old, often given to them as toys by their parents. "It is the most lethal toy," he said. "You can take the speed control off them very easily. It's like giving children a loaded gun, or keys to a car to see if they'll drive it."

Cllr Burke said he had received a large volume of calls on the issue from Castlebar, Westport, Ballina and Claremorris, generally from people concerned about e-scooters being used on footpaths. He said he had personally reported three separate incidents to gardaí and raised concern for pedestrians in towns being hit, or narrowly avoiding being hit, by riders.

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He described one incident yesterday in which a young e-scooter rider "shoots across in front of a lorry that was coming up the hill on the Castlebar Road," forcing the driver to brake sharply to avoid a collision. "Just being careless," he said. "So I think we need to take some action."

Other members backed calls for stronger enforcement and public awareness measures. Cllr Richard Finn noted that e-scooters "seem to work well in other parts of the world," but said the issue in Mayo "boils down to enforcement" and to ensuring basic regulations around footpath use are respected. He acknowledged the practical limits facing gardaí, noting "the guard cannot be at every corner, every junction."

Cllr Damien Ryan pointed to a recent fatality in Galway as evidence the problem was worsening, describing it as "a more urbanised issue" centred on the misuse of footpaths and greenways. He suggested the council consider leading with a public awareness campaign, and argued that footpath use should be treated with zero tolerance, with riders required to wear high-visibility clothing.

Cllr Finn also urged caution against overly restrictive measures that might penalise legitimate users, drawing a comparison with agricultural vehicles. "You can get a tractor licence at 16 years old — you can drive the biggest machines," he said. "We cannot discriminate against people trying to get to work or doing farming. We need a happy medium without going against certain sections of our community."