E-scooters could be coming to Brampton

Published November 27, 2019 at 11:54 pm

Good news for those who find themselves having to take multiple forms of transit during their commute, Ontario is looking to invest in e-scooters.

Good news for those who find themselves having to take multiple forms of transit during their commute, Ontario is looking to invest in e-scooters.

According to an announcement from Vijay Thanigasalam, Parliamentary Assistant to Caroline Mulroney, Minister of Transportation, the province will be launching a five-year e-scooter pilot project starting in January 2020.

“Ontario’s five-year e-scooter pilot will give people a new, clean and green way to get from point A to point B in their communities,” Thanigasalam said in a news release.

“This pilot is another way that our government is giving consumers more choice and making Ontario open for business,” he continued.

The project is intended to shorten commutes by helping transit users get to connections faster, reduce congestion, and strengthen Ontario’s economy by getting involved in a growing sector.

“Ontario’s e-scooter pilot will help businesses expand, enrich local economies and offer people more options to get around safely,” Mulroney said in the same news release.

“Our government is strongly committed to promoting the highest standards of safety for all Ontarians who travel on our roads,” she continued.

The province has developed a guideline that will help municipalities implement e-scooters, which have been implemented in 125 cities across the U.S.—as well as in pilot form in Quebec and Alberta, in their communities.

Under the province’s guideline, anyone operating an e-scooter must be at least 16 years old and wearing a helmet.

Additionally, e-scooters will have to be equipped with a horn or a bell, and have a front and rear light.

Municipalities that choose to implement e-scooters will be responsible for establishing regulations regarding where e-scooters will be permitted to be used and parked.

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