Listen to this article
Estimated 4 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
Spurred by mounting safety complaints, a recent serious collision and the arrival of a new e-scooter operator, Red Deer’s mayor is asking the province to create legislation about e-scooters and safety in Alberta.
Mayor Cindy Jeffries tells CBC News she is also proposing a motion calling for provincial action during the Alberta Municipalities Convention in the fall.
“Right now, it’s a bit of a dog’s breakfast, quite frankly, in who’s enforcing what,” she said.
“If we’re consistent across the province on what’s allowed and enforceable and what needs to be licensed or not, then everybody understands the rules and it doesn’t differ from municipality to municipality.”
The current operator for e-scooters in Central Alberta, Neuron Mobility, has been acquired by San Francisco-based company Lime.
Private e-scooters are not regulated and cannot be operated on roads or sidewalks in the province. However, the provincial government has developed a pilot project for rentals in certain communities.
Two people ride e-scooters in downtown Red Deer. (Lina Elsaadi/CBC)
Concerns about safety are common towards e-scooters, said Jeffries. They often involve where scooters are parked, helmet usage, and e-scooters driven on trails, sidewalks or roads.
Earlier in June, RCMP responded to a serious injury collision involving a car and an e-scooter north of Red Deer.
The 34-year-old driver of the e-scooter, a resident of Red Deer, was transported to hospital in serious but stable condition.
Two people are seen riding Lime e-scooters on the river pathway system in Calgary. (Monty Kruger/CBC)
“More and more people have access to privately owned e-scooters and they’ve recognized that it’s a fairly easy way to get around and probably for some, an affordable mode of transportation.,” said Jeffries.
“So a few things have changed in that space, and so our ability to regulate privately owned e-scooters is an issue I think that all municipalities are facing.”
Concerns extend across Central Alberta
Red Deer is not the only city in Central Alberta with similar concerns. Sylvan Lake is reviewing its Traffic Safety Bylaw, which currently does not mention e-scooters. Mayor Megan Hanson asked the public on her Facebook page for feedback about the devices. Many people responded with calls for restraint.
“They should only be allowed on the road because of how fast they go,” said resident Dana Sales. “They should have to wear protective gear.”
Blackfalds’ council passed a motion welcoming Lime to the community, but also asked Lime to commit to routine maintenance and public safety.
Carling Dick, Lime’s government relations lead, told CBC News in a statement that they are “having conversations with all the new municipalities about these issues and are building programs to meet the unique needs of every new city partner and setting up programs for success from day one.”
Dick added that the new rental e-scooters will launch in the communities in the coming weeks.
“Generally, municipalities and provincial governments establish the rules for e-scooter programs, including requirements related to age limits, helmets, where devices can operate, parking, and other safety measures,” she said.
A statement from Alberta’s Ministry of Transportation and Economic Corridors said the province is using data from municipal rental pilot projects to guide future safety legislation that may eventually include privately owned e-scooters.
“Transportation and Economic Corridors continues to identify future options for the deployment of e-scooters, which may include the use of privately owned e-scooters,” the statement said.
“Data collected from the pilot will be analyzed and used to shape future legislation around the operation of e-scooters in Alberta.”