Dangerous use of both electric bikes and scooters has been highlighted locally as a concern, with an increase noted in the number of young people using e-bikes and e-scooters on footpaths.
In Conna recently, an e-bike user almost collided with a man as he stepped out of a business premises onto the footpath. The e-bike user, the man said, appeared to be a ‘young girl’ of about 12, who he claimed was not wearing a helmet.
“It was travelling at velocity, so fast. A young girl was driving it. I shouted after her to get off of the footpath. She was not rude to me. She shouted an apology, still on the path up to the post office,” he claimed.
Aged in his 70s, the man has just returned from hospital and said that if the e-bike had hit him, ‘it may have been the end of my life’.
He claims that there are a number of young people in the Conna area driving e-bikes locally, who have been ‘an awful nuisance lately’.
ALSO IN FERMOY
In Fermoy, similar issues have been occurring, but largely with e-scooters. Several young people in the town have reportedly been driving e-scooters on footpaths, a clear danger to pedestrians.
Some members of the public have also cited concerns that the e-bikes and e-scooters emit little to no sound, meaning pedestrians are often unaware of them approaching at high speeds.
Under the Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023, e-bikes can be used on local, regional and national roads, but not footpaths or motorways.
Riders must be at least 16 years old to operate e-bikes and e-scooters, and must obey all traffic rules including traffic lights and signs.
A recent report in The Echo outlined that between May 2024 and 2026, just 25 fines were issued in Cork county for breaches of legislation relating to e-scooters.
