Waterloo open to allowing e-scooters on public roads

The province is considering allowing e-scooters and e-bikes on public roads and it's an idea Waterloo is open to seeing happen.

Currently, the city is piloting Lime e-scooters onsix kilometres of trailalong the Laurel Trail in Waterloo Park andtheDavid Johnston Research andTechnology Park. That pilot runs until September.

Ryan Mounsey,senior economic development adviser with the City of Waterloo, said if the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) allows the scooters and e-bikes on roads, they'd work with police "to develop a team approach to see how this could be applied on specific roads."

He saidstaff are currently exploring the possibility ofexpanding the e-scooter pilotto other parts of the city, as well as how the use e-scooters could merge with the LRTonce it starts running on June 21.

Philip Hewitson, Waterloo'smanager of active transportation, said in an emailthe city will be in talks with theMTO in the coming weeks.

Lime'ssenior director of strategic developmentChris Schafertold CBCKitchener-Waterloothey have received notice from theMTO about the consultation on e-scooter and e-bikes on the road.

"We'll be engaged in that consultation as it movesforward," Schafersaid.

"Our view is to treat the e-scooter as you would a bicycle or a pedal assist e-bikeand where those can be riddenon the road, or in bike lanes ideally."

He notesif the provincewere to allow e-scooters and e-bikes on public roads, municipalities would most likely have to update their current bylaws to allow it.

E-scooters on sidewalks

Concerns around using e-scooters on sidewalks havebeen raised in some citiesin the U.S., with complaints about scooters whipping by pedestrians and people leaving scooters on the sidewalks.

Schafer saysLime has ways to mitigate those kinds of disruptions by alerting users on their phone that they have left a scooter in the wrong place and can even fine a user for doing so.

Hewitson said there have been a few instances where people have left scootersin inappropriate places, but Lime is quick to respond to complaints.

He said all e-scooters are picked up by9 p.m. every night and brought to amaintenance facility to be cleaned, repaired and charged.The scooters are then set out the next morning to their designated spots by 7 a.m.