Victoria council is pushing to expand the mobility devices allowed on streets and bike lanes, a week after opting into a provincial pilot project that will allow electric kick scooters to legally travel on Victoria’s bike lanes starting in April.
The city wants to see the Motor Vehicle Act amended to allow electric wheelchairs, mobility devices, electric skateboards, mopeds and other devices on streets and in the bike and roll lane network.
Coun. Jeremy Caradonna said it’s time for the Motor Vehicle Act and regulations to catch up with reality.
“Mobility scooters want to be in our bike lanes and are already on our bike lanes,” he said.
“I do believe that given that they’re already on the roads, it does make sense to bring some safety and some standards and some regulation.”
Coun. Dave Thompson said electric wheelchair users and disability scooter users need safe spaces to operate.
“Sidewalks are not safe,” he said, noting that apart from pedestrians, there are myriad obstructions to negotiate such as utility poles, sign posts, driveway-cut slopes and heaving pavement.
“We see them in bike and roll lanes already, which is proof that that is the preferred place for many of those users, even if it may be illegal currently,” he said. “We need to acknowledge the reality and acknowledge the trend and make it legal and regulated and safe.”
The previous council made the same request in 2021, but updates to the act were delayed due to the pandemic.
The timing of the request is meant to dovetail with the province again working on the act.
The province is using the e-kick scooter pilot project to determine how those scooters — battery-powered devices with a motor and two to four wheels, a platform for standing and handlebars for steering — can be authorized for legal use under the act.
The program, which has been running since 2021, was to have ended this year.
Only 13 communities signed on in 2021. The lone Island city involved was Nanaimo. The province has now extended it until April 2028 with new terms that are designed to reduce the administrative burden on participating municipalities.
Victoria and Saanich have already signed on for the trial that will start April 5.
E-kick scooters will be permitted in all existing bike lanes and on all streets with a speed limit of 50 km/h or lower within Victoria. Users must be over 16, wear a helmet, avoid using sidewalks and generally follow the rules for cyclists.
The police will be responsible for enforcing provincial rules. Penalties will be similar to those for cycling-related offences, with most contraventions resulting in a $109 fine. Not wearing a helmet will cost a rider $29.
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