E-scooter usage on footpaths in Letterkenny leaving elderly residents ‘terrified’

The speed of e-scooters on footpaths has left elderly men and women "terrified" in Letterkenny.

That is according to Cllr Ciaran Brogan of Letterkenny-Milford MD, who said another lady was hit by an e-scooter at Oldtown Bridge.

Fianna Fáil Cllr Brogan highlighted traffic problems in Letterkenny at a recent council meeting. He proposed that a Special Roads Workshop take place “to discuss the whole area of traffic calming measures needed urgently within our Municipal District.”

Cllr Brogan said there had been eight traffic-related motions heard at the meeting and that he was “blue in the face” hearing of traffic concerns around Letterkenny. He also highlighted the need for better speed ramps, as some are “wrecking” cars.

While he described a recent meeting with Letterkenny gardaí on the issue of traffic as “good”, he said the situation was still a “matter of urgency”.

“We need a workshop sooner rather than later where we can have open and honest discussion,” said Cllr Brogan. “Everyone needs to be singing off the same hymn sheet.

“Parents need reassurance that we are making every effort, they are only interested in the safety of their children. We also need to look at scooter bylaws to overcome the concerns that elderly people have.”

Cllr Donal ‘Mandy’ Kelly seconded the motion, calling the usage of e-scooters on footpaths a “huge problem” that can be seen “first hand” in Letterkenny.

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David McIlwaine of the council’s roads section said that a date would be arranged for the workshop and that traffic calming measures have been introduced in some areas as part of Active Travel projects.