Calgary city council wants Alberta government to regulate personal e-scooters

Amid growing popularity of privately-owned electric scooters, Calgary city council plans to advocate the provincial government to update rules around the popular personal vehicles.

While there are rules around the ride-share rentable e-scooters available in Calgary, one city councillor has noted there are no provisions around privately-owned e-scooters in Alberta’s Traffic Safety Act.

This led to a motion from Ward 11 Coun. Kourtney Penner, which passed at Tuesday’s city council meeting, to join forces with the City of Edmonton to push the province to make changes to the traffic safety law.

Penner’s motion will see the issue discussed at the annual meeting of Alberta Municipalities in September to advocate a provincial regulation change, pending a vote in support from Edmonton city council.

“It would allow us to update any bylaws we have around use on sidewalks, pathways and roadways,” Penner said. “Similar to updates made for shared e-scooters, we could do similarly for personal e-scooters.”

The province did make changes to the Traffic Safety Act in 2018, to permit rideshare scooters to be used in Edmonton and Calgary.

That rule change allowed the City of Calgary to update its bylaws to allow shared e-scooters city-wide on bike lanes, pathways, empty sidewalks and roadways with lower speed limits and traffic volumes.

Those rules also limit the speeds of the shared e-scooters to 20 km/h, with regulated slow speed zones.

However, the lack of rules around privately-owned e-scooters mean they’re technically not allowed be used on city streets or sidewalks, Penner said.

“We’re not necessarily hearing a huge number of complaints, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t come,” Penner said.

Alisha Vilich has owned her e-scooter for three years, and said its an essential part of getting around in the city during the warmer months.

“It’s better on gas, because it doesn’t take gas. It’s super fun and I love going on the bike paths with it,” Vilich said.

Vilich is one of many Calgarians who have purchased an e-scooter over the last few years.

According to Daniel Medwin, sales manager at Vintage Iron Cycles in Calgary, the popularity and sales of personal e-scooters is growing.

“It’s the leisure of it, they’re fun to ride, you don’t have to have a whole lot of skill, just a little bit of balance,” Medwin told Global News. “Just enjoy the city on your terms, and I think the rental scooters was a huge boon for us in getting the feel out there.”

Medwin said he agrees safety comes first, ensuring every customer is aware of rules around the use of the scooters and instructing users “to always make sure pedestrians are first.”

Vintage Iron Cycles offers several different types of personal e-scooter with varying wattage and speed, which can be programed to be compliant with the laws and bylaws in the jurisdiction it will be used, Medwin said.

“We’re making sure it’s as safe as possible before we put it in the customers hands,” Medwin said. “Whether there’s a law about it or not, I’m sure we’ll be able to comply fully very easily. We probably already do.”

According to Penner, the issue is around the lack of rules around the personal e-scooters, not around their use in the city.

“Happy to have people riding e-scooters. It’s one of those low-carbon mobility options ” she said.

“I think it’s a great alternative for people to get around and that freedom of mobility and freedom of choice that suits personal lifestyle are great options.”

by Global News