When Bruce Wayne bought a pair of electric kick scooters at a local electronics store and he and his family started using them, he didn't realize he was breaking the law.
“I had no idea they were illegal,” Wayne told city council at a meeting Wednesday, Sept. 25.
He looked into the laws around their use in BC and discovered that while they are illegal in most communities, including Prince George, there's a provincial pilot program that encourages municipalities to sign on as a way to gauge whether the lightweight transportation devices are safe and feasible for legal use.
His pitch to council: Look into the pilot and, hopefully, sign on to allow and study the use of the lightweight, eco-friendly transportation devices.
“I just wanted to bring this particular program that exists in other cities to council and the mayor to decide if it’s right for Prince George or not,” he said.
Electric kick scooters require a “kick,” or foot power, to get up to about 5 kilometres per hour before their electric motors start up. At that point, they can hit speeds of up to 60 kilometres per hour. Most of them have two wheels. Riders stand on them, balancing with one foot in front of the other, and use hand controls for the throttle, brake and steering.
They’ve caught on in larger centres, with many people owning their own and others using scooter-sharing services like Lime, which operates in Vancouver.
Wayne said he isn’t advocating for one of those scooter-rental companies to come to Prince George, although he did say there would likely be immediate interest when asked about it by Coun. Cori Ramsay.
"Once we do pass a resolution, is that what attracts companies like Lime with scooter programs?" she asked.
Wayne said yes: “As soon as the city is added to the list (of BC municipalities allowing scooters), there are three or four major players that would contact the city."
These companies offer municipalities a share of revenues in exchange for permission to operate. Their model let members use an app to find the nearest scooter, use it and leave it for someone else, with payment handled through the app.
“You could see revenue, but you end up with scooters scattered all over the city,” Wayne said.
He told council his priority was seeing scooters legalized and regulated, as they’re already here and already being used illegally. Many people ride them without helmets, or don’t use signal lights or hand signals to alert drivers to their intentions.
“Technically right now it’s technically illegal to ride them, but we have hundreds of them,” he said. “I don’t know that parents know their kids are out there going 30-40 kilometres an hour without a helmet.”
A bylaw under the pilot project would regulate their use, including capping their allowed speed at 25 kilometres per hour and mandating helmets and turn signals, Wayne said.
He took several questions, explaining to Coun. Susan Scott that his 500-watt scooters are recharged using regular household plug-ins, and to Coun. Ron Polillo that some scooters on the road can hit up to 100 kilometres per hour. He agreed with Coun. Trudy Klassen that safety should always be a consideration, particularly considering how much larger pickup trucks have become in recent years.
Mayor Simon Yu asked about scooter use in winter, with Wayne saying that’s not an option. Vernon is the northernmost BC community to be part of the pilot project, he said; if Prince George were to take part, the bylaw would have to address safety concerns around winter roads. For example, he said, a bylaw could be set up so that scooters are legal only during non-winter months.
Coun. Garth Frizzell pointed out that adding scooters to the city’s list of approved on-road vehicles could open the door to more transportation grants. “If this gives us that opportunity, I’m all for it,” he said.
Ramsay moved that the idea go to staff for a full report before any decision is made, with Coun. Tim Bennett suggesting that staff reach out to other communities that have signed on to the pilot.
Council voted unanimously to send the question back to staff.
