'Silent Mondello' - call for e-scooter ban on Naas Greenway 

“I’M not giving this up!” was the defiant stance by a Naas councillor whose motion to have e-scooters banned on the Naas-Sallins Greenway along the canal was denied at the recent Municipal District meeting.

“People using this amenity shouldn’t be tormented by those using this as a silent Mondello … they’re driving everybody mad,” said cllr Seamie Moore after his formal refusal.

Cllr Moore had submitted the motion that “e-scooters now legally allowed on Irish roads without a need for a licence, registration, tax or insurance, and are allowed a speed of up to 20Kph, be banned from the amenity facility area of Naas Canal from Abbey Bridge to Osberstown Bridge”.

“This amenity has been turned into a e-scooter learning course, and they are a silent danger to elderly and hard of hearing pedestrians,” he pointed out.

“The shared space of the two-way amenity route is not suitable for such low level, noiseless, speedsters coming at walkers from both directions,” he argued.

However, the executive was not short in giving shrift to the Father of the House.

“Kildare County Council does not have the legal powers to ban e-scooters from using public roads,” stated Donal Hodgins, the senior engineer at the Sustainable Transport and Traffic Management Section.

Following the meeting Cllr Moore was in ebullient form, and in no mood to take that one-line answer sitting down.

“I’d describe them (the council executive) as being like the (Michael) Lowry team – wanting their cake and eating it,” said Cllr Moore.

“The council want the Greenway to be an ‘amenity’, but the law says it’s a ‘road’,” he stated.

“I have had some success, though, that e-scooters won’t be allowed in around the Lakes or in deBurgh’s (Demesne),” he revealed.

“It’s not open yet, and still requires a wooden bridge for access, and that hasn’t been decided where yet, but will happen when this Sallins-Naas Greenway opens, which is now in the final days of design,” he said.

“We’ll get it (the new bridge]) then, and I’d expect it to be from one of the Locks,” he predicted.

“I am still looking at the canal as an amenity walk rather than a public road … and I do think there is another stage and effort to have this canal walk designated as an amenity route. 

"This wouldn’t deprive the dozen or so residents who live along here from using their car, and they were always happy to use the access here one way,” said cllr Moore.