Sir, – I spent some time in a US city that legalised e-scooters. They had similar requirements as proposed here, namely adult operators, adherence to the rules of the road, no operating on footpaths, no parking in places that obstruct pedestrians, etc.
Several private companies obtained approval to park large numbers of them in designated areas and rent them by the hour. The rental schemes proved popular, however the e-scooters were widely used on footpaths leading to collisions and near collisions with pedestrians. Rules of the road were often ignored.
Many users parked them wherever they found convenient. When parked they were frequently knocked on their sides, blocking footpaths.
My guess is that private users who own their own e-scooters will generally be more careful than casual users who rent them by the hour. If companies are allowed to park and rent e-scooters by the hour it is imperative that operating requirements be meaningfully enforced.
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I hope the programme here is a success. However, given the paucity of enforcement that we have come to expect, I fear that we are likely to experience similar problems. – Yours, etc,
HAL LEDFORD,
Glenageary,
Co Dublin.
