Hundreds of e-scooters could be bound for Hamilton in the next few months

It could be just a few months before kick-style electric scooters hit Hamilton roadways.

A report headed to the public works committee Monday recommends council green-light a sustainable mobility pilot that would see hundreds of pick-up-and-go e-scooters available for public use.

If approved, the city would award two-year contracts to three commercial operators who would be permitted to roll out a maximum fleet of 500 e-scooters each.

The proposed pilot comes five months after council voted to allow the zippy electric scooters on city streets.

In December, council approved amendments to a bylaw that permits e-scooters on roads, bike lanes and designated pathways and trails, but not sidewalks and most parks.

Downtown Coun. Jason Farr said the proposed pilot spells out a win-win scenario: residents get another cheap, eco-friendly mobility option to pick from - and at no cost to the city.

There's no shortage of interest that we can see, and there appears to be a good number of qualified candidates poised to go after managing this in the city," said Farr, noting e-scooters could hit Hamilton in a few months, maybe sooner."

Indeed, since early 2020, five different companies have registered to lobby Hamilton councillors about the potential of e-scooters.

The report bound for the public works committee states selected commercial operators of e-scooter fleets would bear the responsibility of all capital and operating costs. Any city administration or enforcement costs would be recovered through program fees and fine revenues.

As an added bonus, a portion of the money brought in from operators would go to supplement the budget of the much-beleaguered SoBi bike-share program - which nearly died last June after the former Uber-owned operator bailed on its contract.

Corporate donors and residents rallied to save the program temporarily after council refused to bail out the network.

Farr said finding a funding solution to the bike-share program is a key component" to the argument in favour of e-scooters.

For (bike-share's) long-term sustainability, there should be a funding source," he said.

While electric scooters are widely lauded as an affordable, climate-friendly transportation source, some disability advocates warn the silent devices can present dangers to blind and deaf residents.

They keep getting compared to bicycles - but people have had a lifetime to get used to bicycles and their speeds," said James Kemp, a member of the city's advisory committee for people with disabilities.

(E-scooters) are dead silent. People with mobility issues, vision loss, children and families may not have enough time to get out of the way because they can't hear these things coming."

Kemp, who will argue against the proposed pilot at Monday's public works committee meeting, said e-scooters need more regulation before they're plopped into Hamilton.

Besides there being no mandate that requires riders to wear helmets, Kemp said e-scooters are simply not compatible with the city's infrastructure.

They're trying to put these things in bike lines and roadways, but the roads here are very busy and dangerous," he said. Most likely, people will ride on the sidewalk anyway, even if it's not allowed."

It's unclear what safety measures the city is considering to protect pedestrians from e-scooters, but the devices will be limited to a maximum of 20 km/h and geo-fenced" to reduce speed to 10 km/h when operating in parks or high-pedestrian areas.

Sebastian Bron is a Hamilton-based reporter at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sbron@thespec.com