28/05/2026
🛴E-Scooters🛴
People are rightly fed up about the current situation around e-scooters in Northern Ireland, because it's simply not working.
The Green Party raised questions around regulation back in 2022 and since then we have repeatedly heard that the Department for Infrastructure is “monitoring developments elsewhere” while usage has continued to grow and accidents involving e-scooters have increased.
Right now we have the worst of both worlds because e-scooters are already widely used by members of the public, pedestrians and communities have genuine safety concerns about their use, enforcement is inconsistent or frankly non-existant and the law remains unclear and outdated.
Other countries and regions have already moved toward regulated systems with:
- Speed limits
- Age restrictions
- Clear rules around pavement use
- and stronger safety standards
The South introduced regulations in 2024!
Countries like Poland, Germany and other European countries have had frameworks in place for public use for years.
Meanwhile Northern Ireland remains stuck in limbo due to lack of action.
Pedestrian safety must come first, especially for older people, disabled people and children, but continuing to delay the conversation around proper regulation is not a serious long-term strategy.
We need clear rules, safer infrastructure and an evidence-based approach instead of simply hoping the issue goes away, the executive parties need to get the finger out, stop gaslighting the public and actually do something around regulation, they've had years to respond but so far have totally failed.
