E-SCOOTERS A MENACE IN MONAGHAN TOWN – COUNCILLOR CLERKIN DEMANDS ACTION AFTER HIT AND RUN INCIDENT

A call was made at Tuesday’s meeting of the Monaghan Municipal District for tighter policing and stricter regulation of the use of e-scooters and e-bikes in Monaghan Town after an elderly lady was the victim of a hit and run incident involving one of the vehicles. Giving vent to concerns that have been building in the town for a considerable time, Fine Gael local public representative Pauric Clerkin proposed that the Municipal District write to Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan TD and Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien TD seeking clarity on the policing of e-scooters and e-bikes on local roads. Councillor Clerkin said that recently an elderly lady out shopping in the Park Street area of Monaghan Town had been knocked over by a person on an e-scooter who had sped off.

The incident had led to a public outcry and demands for proper policing and regulation of e-scooters and e-bikes, of which there had been a significant increase in use in recent times. Councillor Clerkin said that these vehicles represented an alternative form of transport that should be encouraged for environmental reasons but proper monitoring of how they were being used was needed. Independent councillor Seamus Treanor seconded Councillor Clerkin’s proposal and it was unanimously agreed.