E-scooter services still stalled in Toronto following city council meeting

Toronto city council on July 29th did not vote on a proposal that would have allowed e-scooter rental services to start operating next spring on a trial basis.

The Toronto Star reports that the proposal was rendered moot when another motion passed 12-11. As part of the proposal, city council was going to decide this fall whether the pilot projects should be allowed to begin next spring.

The city is now going to mainly consider and assess the concerns associated with short-term e-scooter rentals by services like Bird Canada.

For instance, the city will look at how the service could affect the safety of disabled people in Toronto, while also considering concerns around insurance liability for riders and people they may accidentally hit while riding.

City council likely won’t be able to address all of these problems before fall, which means that there will possibly be a delay in terms of when e-scooter services can begin to operate.

Although rental e-scooter services are becoming increasingly popular around the world, some cities like Montreal are beginning to ban them after finding risks with inexperienced riders and the dangers the scooter can pose when it’s left in people’s path.

The Star reports that some councillors wanted to allow the city to set the stage for e-scooters, while others want to end to the initiative.

Bird previously launched a pilot project in 2019 in Toronto’s Distillery District that ran from September 5th to the 15th. It’s important to note that e-scooters are not included in Toronto Public Health and Transportation Services’ ‘ActiveTO‘ effort to offer more space for people walking and cycling.

Bird Canada recently launched a pilot program in Ottawa, following the Ontario government revealed its plan to support new and emerging transportation technologies that can aid people to more safely around a city.

Source: The Toronto Star