Last month, we in Waterloo Region had the honour of watching a video of an e-scooter rider keeping up with local highway traffic. Apparently, personal safety was not a consideration.

In less drastic events, e-scooters are often found lying around, sometimes even blocking sidewalks. Riders cut too close to pedestrians and ride where they’re not supposed to.

Mobility mayhem? Maybe.

But communication chaos probably contributes. Let’s take a look.

Difficulties Created by the E-Scooter Project

E-scooters are a convenient micro-mobility device. For example, they help a pedestrian cover four kilometres in about 10 minutes compared to 45 minutes or an hour on foot. They require less effort to operate than a bicycle.

However, e-scooters come with laws that users and almost everyone else are unfamiliar with. These laws, when followed, contribute to safe use while governments figure out how to best incorporate e-scooters into existing mobility and transportation infrastructure.

So, what are these laws? And why don’t you know about them?

The Laws of E-Scooter Use in Ontario

How many of these laws do you know?

  • E-scooters may only be used if local by-laws allow them. They are otherwise illegal.
  • Municipal law dictates where e-scooters may be ridden, e.g., bike lanes, walking trails, etc.
  • Riders must be at least 16 years of age.
  • Riders under 18 years of age must wear a helmet.
  • E-scooters can travel no faster than 24 km/h with a maximum of 500 watts.
  • E-scooters cannot have seats, pedals, or a basket.
  • Accidents involving a pedestrian, animal, or vehicle and resulting in damage to property or personal injury must be reported to police.
  • Riders may not use controlled-access highways.
  • E-scooters must have a white light on the front, red light on the back, side reflectors, and a horn or bell.

Finally, this is perhaps the most important legal fact that most people—riders and non-riders—don’t know: all rules of the road outlined in Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act apply to e-scooters, just as they do to bicycles.

(You can find all the necessary information on Ontario’s e-scooter pilot page.)

Each municipality that allows e-scooters (Toronto is not among them) can adjust those rules as necessary. These e-scooter laws in Waterloo Region differ from the province’s:

  • All riders must wear helmets.
  • Riding is limited to roads with speed limits of 50 km/h or less, roads of any speed that have a bike lane, and select multi-use trails and paths.

How much of that did you know? We’re guessing not much.

Why don’t you know? A gross lack of communication is part of the reason.

Communicating With the Public

To help save lives and hold people accountable, laws involving devices that use well-established mobility infrastructure must be regularly communicated to the public.

Because e-scooters look like the toy scooters kids use, they seem harmless, but they aren’t. At their worst, they cause deaths, and just below that, serious head injuries.

I ask the provincial government to support municipalities in the pilot project with materials informing locals of e-scooter laws and expectations. If the material is designed well, municipalities participating in the pilot can update the information to suit their jurisdiction.

Governments have many options:

  • Ads in newspapers and on radio can help older adults to understand how to drive around e-scooters and to advise their younger family members on e-scooter use.
  • Ads on social media platforms can reach a wide range of ages and allow for questions and feedback.
  • Informational web pages can help people easily look up laws relevant to their e-scooter usage.
  • Posters or flyers at major local events, including the first week of each post-secondary semester, can inform students of their responsibilities if they rent an e-scooter.
  • Awareness campaigns through the education system can help parents and their children understand that e-scooters are forbidden until the rider turns 16.

I understand that not all forms of content can contain all relevant information. Furthermore, governments could run public campaigns that cost as much as hosting the FIFA World Cup and still have to inform someone they can’t ride their e-scooter on the highway.

However, when e-scooters come up in casual conversations and I share some of the above information, not a single person says, “I know.” Instead, surprise and sometimes anger take over our chat.

E-Scooters Are Here to Stay

Ontario’s pilot project runs until November 27, 2029. I believe e-scooters will become so incorporated into many lives—and companies’ revenue—that they’ll stay.

This means we need improved communication now, so everyone understands how to use them safely.

Not everyone will abide by the laws. However, rolling out a pilot program that doesn’t fit into local mobility infrastructure and law enforcement procedures and then expecting everyone to figure it out as they go is irresponsible.

Communication matters.

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