With e-scooters now operating on Oshawa streets and trails, the city has outlined five key things for users to know about this fairly new ride-sharing option:
- The City of Oshawa is one of several municipalities across Ontario participating in the province’s e-scooter pilot program to help determine if e-scooters will be allowed permanently in Ontario.
- Through a competitive bid process, the city selected two vendors, Bird Canada and Neuron Mobility, to provide a shared micro-mobility trial program that runs until the end of December 2024 at no cost to the city or to Oshawa taxpayers.
- Ride-sharing micro-mobility vendors use mobile apps to push pre-ride safety education and local rules of the road to riders. To support Highway Traffic Act rules, ride-sharing devices cannot be activated without a credit card. GPS technology allows vendors to know where their e-scooters are at all times.
- Shared micro-mobility programs can operate under a free-floating model, which enables the customer to begin and end their trip wherever they prefer within the service area, instead of having a set pick-up and drop-off location. Riders use the vendor’s app to find the nearest ride-sharing device and identify proper parking locations.
- Concerns should be directly reported to the vendor by scanning the QR code or calling the telephone number listed on each device. Vendors have dedicated patrols committed to responding to devices parked incorrectly within 15 minutes to one hour.
Oshawa reminded e-scooter users that:
- Riders must be 16 or older to use an e-scooter
- Helmets are mandatory for riders under 18 years old and encouraged for all riders
- Only one person can ride an e-scooter at a time
- The maximum speed limit is 20 kmh
- For the safety of pedestrians, e-scooters are not permitted on sidewalks
- E-scooters are not permitted on roads with speed limits of more than 50 kmh
- Caution must be exercised around pedestrians
- Riders must give warning to pedestrians before passing by using a bell or through verbal indication
- Riders must park devices in a secure and upright position.
All Highway Traffic Act rules of the road apply while riding e-scooters, with penalties resulting in fines up to $2,500.
The city reminded riders to park e-scooters in a secure, upright position in parking locations identified in the vendor app. E-scooter parking locations include city boulevards (between the sidewalk and street), however devices must not block sidewalks or be parked on private property and must not obstruct the path of travel of pedestrians, utility accesses, garbage bins, doorways, areas designated for buses, taxis or loading.