{"id":242915,"date":"2026-05-25T08:38:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-25T08:38:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/242915\/"},"modified":"2026-05-25T08:38:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T08:38:10","slug":"e-bikes-roll-onto-the-agenda-at-queens-park-and-city-hall-heres-what-you-should-know","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/242915\/","title":{"rendered":"E-bikes roll onto the agenda at Queen’s Park and city hall. Here\u2019s what you should know"},"content":{"rendered":"

You see them in bike lanes, sometimes on sidewalks, or you might catch a glimpse of them riding off as you collect your food delivery from your porch.<\/p>\n

E-bikes have been an ever-growing part of Toronto’s landscape since the province made them legal in 2009. But the city has struggled to regulate their use, with safety concerns ranging from battery fires<\/a> to speeding routinely heard at council meetings<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Over the last two months, the province \u2014 which is in charge of e-bike legislation \u2014 has looked into updating rules around their use. And this past week, e-bikes made their way back to city council and were positioned as an election issue in Toronto\u2019s race for mayor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what\u2019s happening:<\/p>\n

The province\u2019s proposal<\/p>\n

In April, Ontario\u2019s Ministry of Transportation opened an online feedback portal on changes<\/a> it wants to make to its e-bike legislation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The proposed changes are meant to make enforcement easier. If they pass, they could help cities clarify to riders what is and isn’t allowed on their roads and in bike lanes. <\/p>\n

The changes include creating two categories for e-bikes. E-bikes would be categorized as class 1 or 2, depending on their weight and how they’re powered. Since bike enforcement typically falls under city purview, it would be up to municipalities to decide where these classes of bikes would be allowed to operate. <\/p>\n

Bikes that don\u2019t fit into a class category, such as those with paneled frames like mopeds, could require insurance and an M licence.<\/p>\n

The province already has requirements<\/a> on e-bike speeds and the minimum age to ride one.<\/p>\n

WATCH | Toronto’s fire chief on e-bikes:\"\"<\/p>\n

Lithium-ion batteries the ‘largest growing fire safety risk\u2019, Toronto Fire says<\/p>\n

Toronto Fire Chief Jim Jessop is calling on the federal government to increase regulation around lithium-ion battery fires, particularly in their use in e-bikes and e-scooters. <\/p>\n

Meaghan Evans, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation, said that \u201cthe range and capabilities of electric vehicles have evolved significantly\u201d since the province legalized e-bikes in 2009.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“To support road safety, the Ministry of Transportation has posted a proposal to modernize the regulatory framework for e-bikes on the Ontario Regulatory Registry,\u201d she said in an email.\u00a0<\/p>\n

E-bikes cycle into election race, city council\u00a0<\/p>\n

Last Wednesday, mayoral candidate and Toronto city councillor Brad Bradford put forward an eight-point proposal to crack down on \u201cdangerous e-bikes,\u201d positioning them as a potential issue in the upcoming municipal election.<\/p>\n

The proposal includes calls for a ban on motorized vehicles in spaces like bike lanes, a task force to inspect e-bike retailers, and for courier businesses to educate contractors on the rules of the road.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bradford put forward a member\u2019s motion last Thursday at city council calling for similar measures. <\/p>\n

Mayor Olivia Chow, who has not formally declared a re-election bid but regularly talks about her plans for the city beyond 2026, put forward a member\u2019s motion similar to Bradford\u2019s.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It included calls to prevent uncertified lithium ion batteries from being sold in Toronto and to look into safe e-bike storage in apartments.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Both Bradford and Chow\u2019s motions sought to amend a council motion<\/a> that asked the city to support Ontario\u2019s proposed e-bike changes.<\/p>\n

It was passed by a unanimous vote, with both Chow and Bradford\u2019s amendments included.<\/p>\n

WATCH | Cycling advocates host information sessions on e-bike use:\"\"<\/p>\n

Should Toronto crack down on e-bikes?<\/p>\n

The province and Toronto’s city council want to enforce tougher regulations for e-bikes. However, as CBC’s Tyler Cheese explains, some advocates say what’s needed is cycling education to curb unsafe riding habits.Delivery couriers and e-bike retailers weigh in\u00a0<\/p>\n

As the province works through its e-bike legislation, cyclist advocates Cycle Toronto, Bike Brigade and The Biking Lawyer LLP, have partnered up to host information sessions for riders on proper use, geared for those who do deliveries.\u00a0<\/p>\n

David Shellnutt, a personal injury lawyer and managing partner at The Biking Lawyer LLP, said the workshops have helped open dialogue with gig workers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe represent a lot of these guys who are hit by motorists and suffer serious injury, so we know the risks that they face out there,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThese guys aren\u2019t making dangerous decisions for no reason. There\u2019s time-sensitive deliveries, they\u2019re trying to make money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hena Salam, who has been an \u201con-and-off\u201d delivery courier for almost 10 years, said he feels safe on the roads but would like to see more bike lanes in the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people don\u2019t care about [the] traffic rules,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy concern is always safety first,\u201d he said, noting that if is was running late on a delivery, he texts the customer and lets them know rather than try to make it on time.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AParwaiz Nijrabi, one of the owners of Movin\u2019 Ebikes, which supplies e-bikes to many couriers in the city, said e-bike regulations are \u201cdue for an update.\u201d (Grant Linton\/CBC News)<\/p>\n

Parwaiz Nijrabi, one of the owners of Movin\u2019 Ebikes, which supplies bikes to many couriers in the city, said e-bike regulations are \u201cdue for an update.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nijrabi sells e-bikes that fall within provincial guidelines, but said even store-bought bikes can be modified to travel faster, which is a concern.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if a retailer tries to do everything clearly by the book, they [e-bike users] are able to kind of \u2018jail break\u2019 these bikes and increase the speed if they want to, so that\u2019s kind of hard to control right now,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a retailer, all I can do is work within the bounds of the law and respond to what the market needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Steve Lin, chief of the emergency department at St. Michael\u2019s Hospital, said the province’s proposed changes to classify bikes and possibly require some to be licenced are a reasonable step.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen an increase in [e-bike] injuries, mainly because [they\u2019re] becoming more used around in the city,\u201d he said, noting that the hospital has seen fewer e-bike users using helmets when compared to regular cyclists.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good to know that they\u2019re not trying to remove them off the streets.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"You see them in bike lanes, sometimes on sidewalks, or you might catch a glimpse of them riding…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":242916,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-242915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242915","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=242915"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242915\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/242916"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=242915"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=242915"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=242915"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}