Saskatoon committee votes in favour of private e-scooters on city streets
Recommendation will now go before city council for approval
More e-scooters could be zipping along Saskatoon's streets this summer.
A report recommending legalizing private e-scooters on public roadways was given the green light Tuesday by the city's transportation committee. It will now go before city council when it next meets on May 21.
Privately owned e-scooters are currently not legal on the city's roads.
The report recommends allowing e-scooters on streets with speed limits of 50 km/h, bike lanes and multi-use pathways.
The scooters would be required to use bike lanes if they are available. They would not be allowed on sidewalks and places like parkades, skate parks and civic squares.
Riders would need to be 16 or older, wear a helmet and have lights on the front and back of their scooter.
Jay Magus, Saskatoon's director of transportation, said if the change is approved, the next step will be to amend the bylaws as quickly as possible.
"They would also have a slow zone on the Meewasin Trail, mimicking the shared [e-scooter] plan," Magus said.
The city has run a pilot project for the past two summers that allowed two companies to rent out e-scooters during the summer.
Regulations around private e-scooters vary across the country.
Places like Vancouver, Calgary and Regina allow private e-scooters, while others like Edmonton and Winnipeg don't.
Saskatoon Ward 3 Coun. Robert Pearce welcomed the recommendation.
Pearce said he has seen many private e-scooters on the road and when he asked a user if they knew it was illegal, they had no idea.
"We do need to move as the city toward more responsible methods of transportation," Pearce said.
"This is a very simple and effective and inexpensive mode for people to get around."
The city took feedback from different groups such as Broadway YXE, which supports the recommendation but said it would like to see new signage that included e-scooters.
The Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) said it would like lower speed limits for e-scooters. It asked for a slow-down zone and encourage speed limitation to 15 km/h, especially when passing other vulnerable road/path users.
The SHA reported 53 e-scooter-related visits to Saskatoon emergency rooms between April and July of last year.