Electronic scooters — e-scooters — have become a popular method of travel, but the provincial government has let municipalities set their own rules regarding the devices and whether they can even be used.
Moose Jaw’s city council has zoomed into this issue by directing city administration to change The Traffic Bylaw to allow e-scooter usage here. City hall must return with an amended bylaw soon.
Council voted 4-3 during its May 8 regular meeting to have city administration amend the bylaw. Opposed were councillors Jamey Logan, Doug Blanc and Heather Eby, while in favour were Mayor Clive Tolley and councillors Kim Robinson, Crystal Froese and Dawn Luhning.
City administration had initially recommended that the report about e-scooter use be received and filed — an action that would have ended the possibility of allowing the use of those devices here.
This issue came to council because last fall, former city manager Jim Puffalt directed the department of legislative and enforcement services to review The Traffic Bylaw and provide advice on possible changes to let people operate e-scooters, a council report explained.
In Moose Jaw, walking and mobility aids are allowed on sidewalks and shared pathways but not on roads, the report pointed out.
Further, bicycles are not allowed on sidewalks but are allowed on roads and shared paths; segways and other motorized mobility devices are allowed on sidewalks and shared paths but not streets; and e-scooters are not allowed anywhere.
Residents are already using e-scooters around the city, while the Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) has said it’s difficult to charge anyone with offences for using them, said Coun. Dawn Luhning. She wanted the bylaw updated so people could use the devices legally.
The MJPS informed city hall that regardless of bylaws, it will be a problem to apprehend offenders because of e-scooters’ portability and capability to evade law enforcement, the council report said. The agency has already experienced issues dealing with offenders using motorized skateboards.
Furthermore, few adult e-scooters are limited to the provincially established maximum speed of 24 km/h, the report added.
Andrew Svenson, city solicitor and director of legislative and enforcement services, encouraged council to think about the rules it wanted to put around the use of e-scooters and how to regulate them.
He explained that Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI) consulted with stakeholders in 2021 to determine whether to allow e-scooters on the streets. This led to changes in provincial laws in 2022, where the province gave municipalities the power to decide whether to approve the devices and the guidelines for their use.
Svenson added that Regina and Saskatoon are trialling e-scooter use by working with private-sector vendors to rent the devices. They will determine whether to allow them permanently once the project is over.
There were 223 people who provided feedback by email to SGI, with 60.5 per cent of people in favour of allowing e-scooters on public roads, SGI’s report said. The most common positive reason was that the devices were an eco-friendly alternative; conversely, safety was the respondents’ main concern.
Other benefits included cost-savings, tourism-boosting potential and user enjoyment. Some concerns included insurance premiums, additional need for law enforcement, rider behaviour, and lack of equipment standards.
Stakeholders also recommended that the operation of e-scooters be restricted to roads with a speed limit of 50 kilometres per hour; that the minimum age be around 14 or 16; that helmets be mandatory; that the maximum speed be 20 to 32 km/h; and that there be zero tolerance for alcohol or drug use.
SGI noted that between 1988 and 2020, there were 199 collisions involving mopeds or powered bicycles and vehicles. Of those incidents, 106 people were injured and four died.
The next regular council meeting is Tuesday, May 23.
