The Ontario Ministry of Transportation is going to oversee a five-year-long pilot project and already has a proposed a set of rules for how to bring e-scooters to Ontario roads.
The government is looking for public feedback regarding these rules until September 12th, so plans could change before they go into effect. There is also no determined start date for this project yet.
So far, the rules are as follows:
- Can operate on-road similar to where bicycles can operate; prohibited on controlled-access highways
- Minimum operating age 16
- Bicycle helmet required for those under 18 years old
- No passengers allowed
- Maximum speed 32 km/h
- No pedals or seat allowed
- Must have two wheels and brakes
- Maximum wheel diameter 17 inches
- Must have horn or bell
- Must have front and back lights
- Maximum weight 45kg and Maximum power output 500W
To be clear, these rules are just for electric scooters that operate on Ontario’s roads and have little to do with the regulation of e-scooter sharing networks like Lime or Bird.
You can find out how to input a rule change on the Ontario government’s website.
Once e-scooters are made legal, it should be much easier for scooter-share companies like that to set up shop in Ontario. So far Lime scooters are in Calgary, Edmonton, Waterloo and Montreal. Bird scooters are only currently in Calgary and Edmonton.
Source: Ontario MTO
