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Meadow Lake residents have until September 30 to provide input about the use of e-scooters in Meadow Lake.   (209130832 © Thomas Stockhausen | Dreamstime.com)
PUBLIC INPUT

Still time to offer input on use of e-scooters in Meadow Lake

Sep 28, 2022 | 5:00 AM

Meadow Lake residents have until September 30 to provide feedback about the use of e-scooters and e-bikes in the community. Like many municipalities, Meadow Lake is dealing with increased use of electric assist scooters and the possible safety issue they present.

Council asked for feedback from residents through an online survey that should take about five minutes to complete. The information gathered will be used to draft potential changes to the city’s traffic bylaw. The survey is also looking for feedback on the use of e-bikes.

On September 22, the province announced new regulations to allow municipalities to choose how they want to regulate e-scooters on their roads. If a municipality does not enact bylaws on the use of e-scooters, their use will continue to be prohibited.

At the city council meeting on Monday, it was pointed out the online survey was available before the province announced a regulatory framework. Meadow Lake City Manager Diana Burton noted the province’s announcement will not impact the results of the survey, and the results will still be useful.

The e-scooter review was prompted by concerns raised by residents in July. At the time, Meadow Lake Mayor Merlin Seymour said the biggest issue with the use of e-scooters in the city was safety.

“We just want the people using them to be safe and avoid injuries, especially head injury, by respecting the roadways and pathways they’re on,” he said.

The provincial framework announced on September 22 outlines rules all e-scooter users will have to obey on the streets:

• E-scooters can only be permitted on roads with a speed limit of 50 km/h or less;

• E-scooters cannot be operated at a speed greater than 24 km/h;

• A minimum operator age of 16 years or older;

• At a minimum, a helmet must be worn

Cities are free to make rules stricter than the provincial minimum. The provincial rules do not regulate the use of scooters in areas like pathways or trails.

City hall administrators will use the feedback they receive to help them draft a report for city council.

The report is due at the beginning of November and city council will address it at a meeting on November 14.