Sinn Féin TD for Dublin South West Seán Crowe has said that the government has pushed back efforts to take action on scrambler bikes for over ten years and it is past time to take action to preserve the safety of people on our streets and in our green spaces.

Speaking in the Dáil today, Teachta Crowe said:

“The dangerous and antisocial use of scramblers on our streets and green spaces is nothing new. In a lot of cases, it is young men and boys speeding around dressed in black, some of them in balaclavas, creating an extreme risk to adults, children and particularly our older neighbours in our communities.

“For years, my Sinn Féin colleagues and I have been trying to force the Government to tackle this issue. Going back as far as 2012, Teachta Deputy Dessie Ellis has raised it, and Dessie has sponsored four separate pieces of legislation since then. It is with tragic irony that Grace Lynch lost her life in Finglas, the very area that he represents.

“Back in 2014, we were told by the then junior Fine Gael agriculture Minister that ‘clear and adequate systems and structures are in place’. Three serving Fine Gael Ministers voted against us on that occasion and said adequate legislation was there. Again, we are in the same situation.

“The Minister said he is going to act. That is good, but people want to see that action. In a lot of cases, what we are seeing is a situation that is getting worse. I raised this issue two years ago, when an elderly woman in my own constituency was knocked down by a scrambler motorbike. I was talking to her husband today. She is still recovering. It has an impact on her physically, but there is also the mental impact. Eileen survived that crash in Killinarden, but two years later Grace Lynch did not. It is time for action.”