Where should people be allowed to ride e-scooters in Waterloo Region?

What is this project about?

Effective January 1, 2020, the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) launched a new, five-year pilot to permit Electric Kick Scooters (e-scooters) on roads (http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/vehicles/electric/electric-scooters.shtml).

The province outlined that it is up to municipalities to pass by-laws to permit the use of e-scooters locally and determine where they can and cannot operate.

What is an e-scooter?

E-scooters have battery-powered motors with a platform for your feet and are steered with waist-high handlebars. This MTO pilot project does not address mobility/accessibility scooters, e-bikes, or electric mopeds.

MTO e-scooter rules can be found in the documents under the "Ontario E-scooter Pilot Program" tab under the Photo Gallery and include:

E-scooter maximum speed: 24 km/hr
Minimum rider age: 16 years old (bike helmets required 16-18)
No passengers allowed
Must have brakes, horn/bell, front white light, and rear red light

The Region of Waterloo and the Cities of Cambridge, Kitchener, and Waterloo want your input on where people should be allowed to ride an e-scooter in our community.

Staff from the Region of Waterloo and Cities of Cambridge, Kitchener, and Waterloo have prepared several options for permitting e-scooters locally. These options range from nowhere (i.e., not permitted in Waterloo Region) to anywhere a bike can go (i.e., any path or roadway other than controlled-access highways).

Your responses will help inform staff reports to City and Regional Councils on if and where personally-owned e-scooters can be ridden in Waterloo Region. Based on the decision of the respective councils, staff will also consider requirements for e-scooter rental companies (scooter-share) that wish to operate in our community.

Please note that the Region and Cities will follow MTO best practice and will not permit sidewalk riding in any scenario. Riding e-scooters on sidewalks can create accessibility issues and presents a greater risk of injury for pedestrians and persons with disabilities.

Typical E-scooter Design

What is this project about?

The province outlined that it is up to municipalities to pass by-laws to permit the use of e-scooters locally and determine where they can and cannot operate.

What is an e-scooter?

MTO e-scooter rules can be found in the documents under the "Ontario E-scooter Pilot Program" tab under the Photo Gallery and include:

E-scooter maximum speed: 24 km/hr
Minimum rider age: 16 years old (bike helmets required 16-18)
No passengers allowed
Must have brakes, horn/bell, front white light, and rear red light

The Region of Waterloo and the Cities of Cambridge, Kitchener, and Waterloo want your input on where people should be allowed to ride an e-scooter in our community.

Typical E-scooter Design

Survey
Q&A

Public Consultation Survey: Where should people be allowed to ride e-scooters in Waterloo Region?

177 responses

The Region of Waterloo and the Cities of Cambridge, Kitchener and Waterloo want your input on where people should be allowed to ride an e-scooter in our community. Staff have prepared several options for permitting e-scooters locally (see below).

Your response will inform staff reports to City and Regional Councils on if and where personally-owned e-scooters can be ridden in Waterloo Region. Based on the decision of the respective councils on where e-scooters can go, staff will also consider requirements for e-scooter rental companies (scooter-share) that wish to operate in our community.

The survey should take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete and will be available until Monday, February 1, 2021.

Notice of Collection and Confidentiality

Please review the Notice of Collection and Confidentiality for this survey and topic located on the side panel under the "Who's Listening" summary.

Proposed Options for E-Scooters

Option	What would this option look like?
Option 1. Do not permit e-scooters in Waterloo Region	E-scooters not permitted.
Option 2. Permit e-scooters on: Trails and multi-use paths	Example of Uptown Waterloo Network if e-scooters are only permitted on trails and multi-use paths (green). E-scooters would not be permitted on roadways (white)
Option 3. Permit e-scooters on: Trails and multi-use paths; and All roads with reserved bike lanes	Example of Uptown Waterloo Network if e-scooters are only permitted on trails and multi-use paths (green), and roads with bike lanes (pink). E-scooters would not be permitted on roads without bike lanes (white)
Option 4. Permit e-scooters on: Trails and multi-use paths; All roads with reserved bike lanes; and Any road 50km/hr or less Preliminary Preferred Option	Preliminary Preferred Option Example of Uptown Waterloo Network if e-scooters permitted on trails and multi-use paths (green), roads with bike lanes and roads 50km/hr or less (pink)
Option 5. Permit e-scooters anywhere a bike can go: Trails and multi-use paths; All roads with reserved bike lanes; and All other roads (except controlled-access highways)	Example of Hespeler Village Network if e-scooters permitted everywhere a bike can go. This includes trails and multi-use paths (green), bike lanes (dark pink) and all other roads (pink, with higher-speed roads highlighted in yellow)