{"id":842223,"date":"2026-08-02T10:48:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T10:48:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/842223\/"},"modified":"2026-08-02T10:48:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T10:48:12","slug":"are-vespas-and-mopeds-allowed-in-toronto-bike-lanes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/842223\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Vespas and mopeds allowed in Toronto bike lanes?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

A woman bikes along Harbord Street in Toronto on May 12, 2026.Laura Proctor\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n

What vehicles are allowed in bike lanes? I saw a gas-powered Vespa driving in one. With skateboarders, scooters and fast e-bikes, bike lanes are pretty chaotic these days \u2013 you really have to be paying attention. \u2013 Jordan, Toronto<\/p>\n

With complicated rules around e-bikes, figuring out the lane truth in Toronto isn\u2019t always easy. <\/p>\n

\u201cOften, you can\u2019t just look at a vehicle and know whether it\u2019s [legally allowed in a bike lane] or not,\u201d said Michael Longfield, executive director of Cycle Toronto. \u201cIt\u2019s my job to know these things and I get confused sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Toronto, the bike lane rules vary <\/a>depending on whether you\u2019re in a painted bike lane or a protected bike lane with barriers separating it from traffic.<\/p>\n

Generally, in protected bike lanes, which are sometimes called cycle tracks, the only vehicles allowed are bikes and e-bikes – which includes most cargo bikes and tricycles.<\/p>\n

So, you can\u2019t be there on a skateboard, rollerblades or any kind of e-device, including e-kick scooters<\/a>, other than an e-bike.<\/p>\n

Gas-powered Vespas, mopeds and motorbikes aren\u2019t allowed in protected bike lanes either. Under Ontario\u2019s Highway Traffic Act, they\u2019re considered motor vehicles and are only allowed on roads and private property. They also need licence plates, insurance and a motorcycle licence to ride.<\/p>\n

So, if you can hear a gas engine on a Vespa, for instance, it\u2019s obvious that it shouldn\u2019t be in a bike lane.<\/p>\n

But some electric bikes look like Vespas or motorbikes \u2013 it\u2019s not always clear whether they belong in protected bike lanes, Longfield said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome things look like they don\u2019t belong when technically per the regulations they do,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Can\u2019t judge by appearances?<\/p>\n

Right now, the law in Ontario<\/a> defines an e-bike as having a motor of 500 watts or less, working pedals and a top e-assisted speed of 32 kilometres an hour (you may be able to go faster than that on any bike when coasting down a hill, for instance). They also have to weigh less than 120 kilograms.<\/p>\n

If a device fits that definition, it doesn\u2019t need a licence plate or insurance and you don\u2019t need a motorcycle licence to ride it. Some e-bikes only provide electric assistance when you\u2019re pedalling \u2013 that\u2019s called pedal assist. Others have a handlebar-mounted throttle, like on a motorcycle or scooter, so the bike will go even if you\u2019re not pedalling at all. <\/p>\n

But some bikes that look like Vespas, mopeds or motorcycles technically have working pedals, even if they can\u2019t go far on them. So, if their top e-assisted speed is 32 kilometres an hour or less, they\u2019re still considered an e-bike under provincial rules.<\/p>\n

We asked the city whether e-bikes that look like Vespas and motorbikes but meet the provincial definition of an e-bike are allowed in protected bike lanes. They didn\u2019t directly answer that question.<\/p>\n

Confusing definitions?<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s bylaw<\/a> is confusing. It says only vehicles that require \u201cpedalling for propulsion\u201d are allowed in protected bike lanes. But painted lanes also allow e-bikes that can move on the motor alone \u2013 so, with a throttle \u2013 as long as they don\u2019t go faster than 32 kilometres an hour. <\/p>\n

Some e-bikes that look like conventional bikes have throttles, too \u2013 often they can only work for short bursts or only propel you up to a specific speed. <\/p>\n

So are e-bikes with throttles allowed in protected bike lanes?<\/p>\n

\u201cAn e-bike with a working throttle may be allowed in a cycle track, but only so long as the throttle is not being used to power the vehicle as long as it is in the track,\u201d Elyse Parker, the city\u2019s director of policy, data and strategic initiatives, said in an e-mail.<\/p>\n

In other words, you can use the throttle on an e-bike in a painted bike lane but not in a protected bike lane. <\/p>\n

Because there is so much confusion around e-bikes and e-devices, the city launched an education campaign<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n

Clearer rules?<\/p>\n

Ontario has proposed new e-bike rules<\/a> that would classify e-bikes that look like Vespas, motorcycles or mopeds as motor vehicles and require them to have licences, insurance and registration \u2013 even if the bike\u2019s top speed is 32 kilometres an hour or less.<\/p>\n

Quebec brought in its own restrictions<\/a> on moped-style e-bikes in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Ontario] needs to clearly define these things as requiring licences, [plates] and insurance \u2026 because then the police can enforce it,\u201d said Dianne Saxe, Toronto city councillor for University-Rosedale.<\/p>\n

Saxe has also been pushing for clearer rules in Toronto<\/a>. Toronto council has asked city staff to report back in December with recommendations<\/a> to change the bylaws so the same rules apply in protected bike lanes, painted bike lanes and on multi-use paths. \u201cBikes belong in the cycle infrastructure \u2013 motorcycles don\u2019t,\u201d Saxe said. <\/p>\n

Real problem?<\/p>\n

So how big of a problem are these vehicles in Toronto bike lanes now?<\/p>\n

The city said it doesn\u2019t track complaints about illegal vehicles in bike lanes and pointed us to police. We asked Toronto police how many tickets they\u2019d issued for illegal vehicles in bike lanes last year and how many collisions there have been involving them. A spokeswoman said that the information would require a freedom of information request. <\/p>\n

Saxe said it\u2019s \u201ca massive, massive problem.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve heard from people who are too afraid to let themselves or their families use the Bloor Street bike lanes because they\u2019re monopolized by [riders] on these mopeds,\u201d Saxe said. <\/p>\n

It\u2019s been getting worse as more gig workers for food-delivery companies have been using these vehicles, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe [vehicles] don\u2019t belong in bike lanes, but because the rules are confusing, gig workers don\u2019t really clearly understand that what they\u2019re doing is illegal and dangerous,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd that needs to be clear.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Longfield said that not all moped- or Vespa-style e-bikes break the law.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in a bike lane and I\u2019ve been passed by something that looks like a motorcycle and been really kind of annoyed in the moment,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd then I calmed down and realized that person actually wasn\u2019t going faster than 32 kilometres per hour \u2013 it was technically legal to be there.\u201c<\/p>\n

While Longfield understands that riders get frustrated by these vehicles, he thinks the safety concerns sometimes get overblown. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe majority of serious injuries and collisions and deaths on our roads are caused by cars and drivers,\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re not caused by these e-bikes and scooters.\u201d<\/p>\n

Have a driving question? Send it to globedrive@globeandmail.com<\/a> and put \u2018Driving Concerns\u2019 in your subject line. E-mails without the correct subject line may not be answered. Canada\u2019s a big place, so let us know where you are so we can find the answer for your city and province.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: A woman bikes along Harbord Street in Toronto on May 12, 2026.Laura Proctor\/The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":842224,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194291],"tags":[49,48,30296,3302],"class_list":["post-842223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-toronto","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-ordid10000","tag-toronto"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/842223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=842223"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/842223\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/842224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=842223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=842223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=842223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}