11-24-2020, 06:08 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-24-2020, 06:09 PM by danbrotherston.)
(11-24-2020, 05:54 PM)tomh009 Wrote:(11-24-2020, 05:32 PM)danbrotherston Wrote: Yes, leaving aside local infra, e-scooters are an interesting issue...
I know a lot of people love to hate them (including my parents) they call them DUI scooters or some nonsense. But the fact is they provide meaningful mobility for a lot of people in our community. People who lose their license (and it is hard to do) clearly should not be driving, but still deserve the same mobility as everyone else. Our transit system is not great for all people, and not everyone wants to cycle, I have no problem with people using them as a mobility device. But because of the people who usually ride them, there is a lot of prejudice.
I don't care who's using them (and I am specifically referring to the electric motorcycle or Vespa-style scooters and not to the sit-down mobility scooters) -- I simply think they are too fast for MUTs and sidewalks. The mobility scooters, on the other hand, tend to have far more modest speeds.
An M licence is probably not the answer. But maybe a written test combined with vehicle licensing would be good.
I too am referring to the electric mopeds limited to 500 watts and 32km/h. I honestly see no problem not licensing them. I've not been shy about saying I don't believe drivers are in any meaningful way licensed, so I certainly see no reason to license riders of escooters.
If you are thinking they need a written test to learn the rules, I don't think G licensed drivers are any more likely than anyone else to know the rules of the road (what percentage of drivers in the city had "roundabouts" on their written test...is it even on the current provincial test?). Escooter riders, like drivers, follow the rules that they feel are convenient and safe for them to follow...a written test won't change that. Better behaviour is best achieved through better design, and consistent uniform (read: automated) enforcement.