Guelph may opt-in for the tail end of a provincial pilot project allowing the use of e-scooters on public lands, but first council wants to know more about what’s involved.
Meeting Tuesday afternoon, council’s committee of the whole unanimously approved a motion directing staff to draft a bylaw or amendments to existing bylaws that would see Guelph join the provincial effort.
“With an increase of community members using these e-scooters, I think it would be beneficial for the City of Guelph to get ahead of this and make them permissible with clear rules,” said Coun. Rodrigo Goller, who brought the idea forward. “We would be able to curb unwanted use.”
The provincial pilot project runs through the end of next year, after which the provincial government is expected to announce province-wide regulations about e-scooter use.
“I think this is great. … I really do hope this comes together,” commented Mayor Cam Guthrie. “We are behind. We should not have said ‘no’ to this a few years ago.”
That’s a reference to city staff’s acknowledgment on Tuesday that it didn’t bring the pilot project forward for council to consider when it was launched in 2020. The main reason, deputy CAO Colleen Clack-Bush told council, was a lack of available staff resources to manage the program.
Staff resources continue to be a factor, she noted.
The five-year pilot program is intended to help government officials decide if e-scooters will be allowed throughout the province and, if so, what rules should be put in place regarding their use.
Several nearby municipalities are already taking part in the pilot program, including Waterloo Region and Hamilton.
In order to participate, municipal councils are required to pass a bylaw that specifically allows them and states where they can be used.
As it is now, e-scooters are not an approved method of transportation under the Highway Traffic Act, which governs the rules of the road.
However, that hasn't stopped them from being used.
Adrian Salvatore, vice-chair of the Guelph Coalition for Active Transportation, urged council to move ahead with investigating the idea.
He praised e-scooters as a way to encourage people to get out of personal motor vehicles and into modes of active transportation or transit, suggesting e-scooters come with a “high degree of affordability” and would help people complete the “last mile” of their trip.
“They’re also quite fun to ride. That point should not be overlooked,” Salvatore said. “We are strongly in support.”
The committee-approved motion also waives the traditional public consultation process for new or amended bylaws, meaning anyone who wishes to provide input on the matter will need to delegate or submit written comments to council for consideration in July.
“My concern is July is summertime, kids are winding down, people are not paying attention,” said Coun. Linda Busuttil. “What’s the rush on this?”
Typically, Clack-Bush explained, public consultation involves hosting working groups and running surveys.
That process could add six months to a year to the consideration process, Goller added.
“As the provincial program will only last until the end of next year, we would be sending staff to do a substantial amount of work for what would be in place for a relatively short period of time,” he explained. “My intention here is that we don’t lose this year.”
The provincial pilot program describes e-scooters as a device with two wheels and a platform to stand on, with a handlebar for steering and a horn or bell. Its electric motor is not to exceed 500 watts and the device cannot have a maximum speed of more than 24 km/h on a level surface, with a top weight of 45 kg.
They cannot have pedals, a seat or a basket.
Operators must be at least 16 years old, stand at all times while riding and wear a bicycle helmet if under 18 years of age. They cannot carry passengers or cargo.
