Transportation advocates split over e-scooter trials in B.C.

E-scooters are illegal to ride in most parts of the province — except in a select few cities testing out their use — including Vancouver, North Vancouver, Richmond and Kelowna.

In Vancouver, it is legal for anyone over 16 to ride electric kick scooters in bike lanes

Isaac Phan Nay · CBC News · Posted: Jul 14, 2024 11:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: July 14

A person with a yellow hooded sweatshirt and an olive jacket is seen riding an e-scooter on a busy street. — Electric kick scooters are still illegal in most parts of the province, except in a select few cities, including Vancouver, North Vancouver and Richmond. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Three years into a City of Vancouver trial testing the use of electric kick scooters, transportation advocates are split on how they're regulated.

Vic Leach, a member of the pedestrian advocacy group Walker's Caucus, told On the Coast he's concerned how e-scooters are affecting pedestrian safety.

"They're on the sidewalks, they're going into intersections," he said. "Older people get a little bit leery of them."

But not everyone's convinced they're a harmful addition to the city. Rose Gardner, director of bike education with HUB Cycling, said she celebrates e-scooters as an alternative to driving, adding they don't burn fuels or produce exhaust fumes.

"They promote active transportation, and they reduce the number of cars on the road," she said. "We're excited to see more ways of getting around the city."

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Despite popularity, e-scooters still illegal in much of B.C.

E-scooters are illegal to ride in most parts of the province, except in a select few cities testing out their use, including Vancouver, North Vancouver, Richmond and Kelowna.

In the City of Vancouver, anyone over 16 is allowed to ride electric kick scooters in bike lanes or roads where the speed limit is less than 50 kilometres per hour. It's illegal to ride them on sidewalks, in crosswalks and intersections, and it's illegal for multiple people to ride them or to ride them without a helmet.

It's also illegal to operate them under the influence of drugs or alcohol or while using a phone.

Gardner said choosing routes that don't bring scooters near busy intersections or a lot of cars can also keep riders safe.

A man in a khaki-coloured jacket is seen walking with an e-scooter. Behind him, to his left, is a man in a purple hooded sweatshirt walking while looking on his phone. Further behind, a man in a neon-yellow-coloured sweatshirt and a toque is seen smoking a cigarette. — It's illegal to ride an e-scooter in Vancouver while using a phone. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

Leach said many e-scooter riders don't wear helmets, don't have bells and move quickly in pedestrian zones, which makes the scooters dangerous for mobility-impaired or visually impaired walkers.

He's calling for police enforcement of e-scooter rules. He's also asking riders to wear reflective clothing and have headlights and taillights.

Dr. Michael Schwandt, a medical health officer with Vancouver Coastal Health, told CBC's On The Coast that as e-scooters become popular, they will present a risk.

But he said education about safe use and separated lanes for vehicles travelling at the same speed as the e-scooters could mitigate that risk.

A person rides a kick scooter in downtown Vancouver. — Electric kick scooters are legal on roads with speed limits of up to 50 kilometres per hour. (Ben Nelms/CBC)

"One of the key things we can do is separate modes of transportation between people moving at different speeds," Schwandt said. "Our transportation infrastructure and policies can go a long way."

Gardner added the use of e-scooters could encourage more cycling-friendly infrastructure.

"We'd love to see them allowed in cycle lanes and grow so that people can have more ways to safely move around their communities that are climate-friendly and healthy."