Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly has said he agrees with calls for a ban on e-scooters, saying society would be “better off” without them.
He made the remarks at the Oireachtas justice committee where Martin Lynch, the father of Grace Lynch – who died after being hit by a scrambler bike – said scramblers, e-scooters and e-bikes have “been a scourge to this country for years”.
New regulations – known as Grace’s Law – came into effect in April to fully implement a ban on the use of scrambler motorbikes in public places.
However, e-scooters are legal for over-16s at a maximum speed of 20km/h.
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Earlier on Tuesday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he is “leaning towards” a total ban on e-scooters as the Dáil discussed the issue following incidents resulting in deaths and serious injuries.
Grace Lynch (16) died after being hit by a scrambler as she used a pedestrian crossing in Finglas in January. A man later appeared in court charged in connection with the incident.
At the justice committee Siobhán Lynch, Grace’s mother, was asked if she had a message for parents considering buying a scrambler or e-scooter for a child.
Lynch said it would be: “Stop – otherwise you’re the one that’s going to be in the graveyard visiting your child.” She also said: “I’d love to see them banned.”
The commissioner said what Martin and Siobhán Lynch have gone through is “absolutely harrowing” and that the Garda is “trying to do everything we can”.
He said his own view on e-scooters specifically is “we would be better off as a society without them” and in relation to public safety “I certainly agree with some of the others calling for a ban on them”.
Doctors at Temple Street Children’s Hospital in Dublin this month called for a ban due to children ending up on life support as a result of e-scooter injuries.
Kelly said other jurisdictions have brought in outright bans, while others require registration or e-scooters and the use of helmets.
He said that in Ireland e-scooters are being used for drug dealing and intimidation; road-traffic laws are “being absolutely flouted”; and that people have been hurt, including children suffering “severe injuries”.
Kelly said e-scooters are currently allowed and acknowledged they are being used for transport to work and how people had businesses selling and repairing them, but added “there’s so much harm being done [by e-scooters].”
Later he told TDs and Senators: “If there was a ban on them we would certainly be very supportive of that and it would solve a lot of the problems that we have.”
In the Dáil, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald highlighted a recent incident involving a scrambler at the Five Lamps in Dublin city in which Jayden Deans (14) was hit as he crossed the road and was “left with a broken, mangled leg and incredible trauma”.
McDonald accused the Taoiseach of failing to act on his promise to enforce measures brought in after the death of Grace Lynch, whose parents observed proceedings from the public gallery.
Months on from the enactment of Grace’s Law “we actually see the plague of all of this getting worse, not better”, she said.
McDonald said lives have been lost in Carlow and Galway, and children are on life support machines in Temple street hospital.
The Taoiseach said gardaí were actively pursuing illegal use and “about 2,000 e-scooters have been seized since 2024, and about 418 scramblers” in the same period.
But Social Democrats TD Daniel Ennis said a gang on scramblers took over Dublin city centre on Saturday night “for hours”, moving from street to street, and one nearly crashed into him. He said when he went to Store Street Garda station a garda told him they “hadn’t got the resources – on a Saturday night” in the “capital of our country”.
The Taoiseach said: “I don’t think it’s a good enough response from a member of An Garda Síochána. Additional gardaí have been recruited and resources are being allocated.”
He acknowledged cases had been taken against gardaí over pursuing criminals, but said the Ministers for Justice and Transport were working on legislation to protect gardaí while in pursuit of a person.
Later at the Justice committee, Ennis raised Saturday’s incident involving scramblers in Dublin city centre with the commissioner.
Kelly said the Garda response that evening was “not a resourcing issue per se” while adding: “without a doubt there should have been a response to that”.
During his answer Kelly said he was “not making an excuse” but highlighted a GAA semi-final taking place in Croke Park, indicating that would have drawn on Garda resources in the area. He added: “We certainly have no intention of ceding our city centre” to gangs with motorcycles.
