Ontario’s 2-day public feedback period on e-scooters

by Jamie Stuckless, Executive Director, Share the Road Cycling Coalition

*Update (August 29th @ 6:30pm): The Ministry of Transportation has heard feedback from stakeholders and the initial two day consultation has now been extended! The new deadline for input is September 12. We are pleased that this change has been made.

The provincial government is seeking feedback on whether kick-style e-scooters should be permitted on our roads. Share the Road has been supportive of launching an e-scooter pilot project (more details below), however, we strongly believe that this important file deserves more than the 2 day consultation period that was just launched.

We were notified this morning that the Ministry of Transportation had posted their proposed e-scooter framework online and that the deadline to provide feedback is tomorrow (Friday, August 30th). In response, Share the Road is submitting feedback through the environmental registry today. We are also reaching out to the Minister of Transportation and Queen’s Park All Party Cycling Caucus regarding this short and poorly timed public consultation. Introducing a new mode of transportation to our roads is something that should be approached thoughtfully and in partnership with municipalities, stakeholders and the people of Ontario.

A brief summary of our feedback is below. You can also read our full e-scooter briefing note, which was published in May 2019 in the Canadian Institute of Engineers (CITE) newsletter: https://issuu.com/cite7/docs/41.1-spring2019/26

An e-scooter pilot for Ontario

At present, e-scooters are not permitted to operate on roads in Ontario where the Highway Traffic Act (HTA) applies. Share the Road has recommended a 2 year pilot project that permits e-scooters and allows us to learn from the experiences of other jurisdictions, and local user experiences in communities across Ontario.

As outlined in more detail in our CITE article, we see e-scooters as representing a new way for people to get around and connect to transit. They are also a relatively new technology and mode of transportation that come with safety and mobility concerns. This is why we are proposing a pilot project for Ontario.

As part of our proposed 2 year pilot project, we recommend the following:

• Limit the speed of e-scooters to 24 km/h and require an emergency shut off switch;
• Specify that e-scooter riders are prohibited from carrying passengers of any age;
• Prohibit e-scooter riders from carrying any packages that prevent them from keeping two hands on the handlebars;
• Specifically prohibit e-scooter riders from leaving e-scooters lying on their sides or parking in a way that does not allow adequate space for pedestrian traffic, and;
• Allow municipalities to set geographic limits in which e-scooters can operate.

We’ve also recommended that dockless e-scooter companies require all first time users to participate in online training and provide a toll free number for residents to report poor parking of e-scooters.

Finally, this new mode of transportation requires an investment in both education and in building safer space for people to ride. This should be addressed by:

• Allowing municipalities to charge a “use of public space fee” to e-scooter companies, and;
• Allocating provincial and municipal funding to build safe and separate spaces for bicycles, e-bicycles and e-scooters.

Proposed provincial framework

Details of the proposed provincial framework are now available online and a screen caption of the main points is included below.

While several of our recommendations are reflected in this proposed framework, the proposed maximum speed limit is considerably higher at 32 km/h as opposed to 24 km/h. The pilot period is also much longer, at a proposed 5 years.

You can view the full provincial proposal and submit your feedback online here.

The new deadline to respond with feedback is September 12th.

An article has since been written about the consultation in the Globe and Mail, which you can read here: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-ontario-government-causes-confusion-with-amended-e-scooter-pilot/