The charges payable by owners of scrambler motorbikes seized and detained by An Garda Síochána are to double.
Regulations to fully implement a ban on the use of scrambler motorbikes in public places took effect earlier this year.
There have been renewed Government efforts to develop the regulations to help enforce the existing ban on scramblers on roads and in parks after the death of 16-year-old Grace Lynch in January.
She died after being hit by a scrambler as she used a pedestrian crossing on Ratoath Road, Finglas, Dublin. A man later appeared in court charged in connection with the incident. The new regulations are known as Grace’s Law.
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New regulations that will double the charges payable by owners of scramblers seized and detained were signed off on by Government on Tuesday.
The new regulations will come into effect on August 14th and will include double the charges for the detention, removal and storage of scramblers.
Under the new charges, scramblers weighing up to 3,500kg will incur a charge of €250 for detention, removal and the first day’s storage, plus €70 for each additional day.
Scramblers weighing over 3,500kg will incur a charge of €500 for detention, removal and the first day’s storage, plus €100 for each additional day.
The Government said the revised fees are intended to “better reflect the costs involved in removing and storing detained scramblers while strengthening the deterrent against illegal and dangerous scrambler use”.
Minister of State for Road Transport Seán Canney signed the new regulations on Tuesday. He said they send “a clear message that illegal and dangerous scrambler use carries real consequences”.
“In recent months we banned the use of scramblers in public places,” he said. “These increased charges build on that work by ensuring there are real financial consequences where a scrambler is seized by An Garda Síochána.
“People whose scramblers are detained should bear the cost of removing and storing them. These revised charges better reflect those costs while providing a stronger deterrent and supporting An Garda Síochána in keeping our roads and communities safe.”
Road safety campaign group Parc welcomed the increase, but founder Susan Gray she was “totally shocked that it will only apply to scrambler motorbikes”.
“Given the number of people who have been killed or critically injured in e-scooters, and the ongoing controversy over illegal use of such transport, it is unbelievable that the Minister didn’t apply the increase in fees to all vehicles seized by gardaí,” she said.
