TD Calls For Tougher E-Scooter Penalties After Boy Knocked Down On Footpath In Leixlip

Thursday, 17 July 2025 15:48

By Martin Osborne

Fine Gael Kildare North TD Joe Neville witnessed the aftermath while coaching under-14 hurlers.

A local TD has called for stricter penalties on e-scooter use after a nine-year-old boy was knocked down on a footpath in Leixlip.

Fine Gael Kildare North TD Joe Neville witnessed the aftermath while coaching under-14 hurlers.

The boy was cycling when an e-scooter collided with him.

He was taken away in an ambulance.

"I saw a nine-year-old boy being carried away in an ambulance. He had been cycling his bike and minding his own business, along with other people, on the footpath at 7 p.m. in Leixlip. An e-scooter had come along and, obviously, hit him. There was impact there," he said.

Neville says people - especially the elderly - no longer feel safe walking or letting their kids cycle.

He’s questioning whether the current €50 on-the-spot fines go far enough and is urging more Garda enforcement.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin agreed that it’s a growing problem.

He says shared spaces like footpaths and cycle lanes are becoming overcrowded.

"There is always a balance needed between overregulation and no regulation at all, or guidelines in terms of trying to influence behaviour and increase awareness about the dangers of all of this," he said.

He added that it could be a matter for an Oireachtas subcommittee to take hearings on.