Should Hamilton ban e-scooters from its streets and sidewalks?
Tim Nolan narrowly avoided a painful first meeting with an e-scooter in Hamilton last week.
He wants the city to ban the kick-style electric scooters - the standup version similar to a kid's toy, not the sit-down bike-style machine - until the province properly regulates" both the technology and its growing legion of riders.
The 60-year-old, who is legally blind, was about to step off the curb at Napier and Caroline streets when the sudden whizzing" sound of scooter tires on asphalt startled him into stumbling backwards.
I didn't hear anything until it was almost in front of me," said Nolan, who sees very little but listens at intersections for the rumble of approaching cars and click of gear-shifting bicycles. I know some people look at (e-scooters) as a mode of transportation. I get that. But they are silent vehicles that can go at very high speeds and they are basically unregulated."
Hamilton council must decide soon whether to allow e-scooters on public property in the city - and if so, where.
Ontario announced a pilot in January to make e-scooters legal, but left it up to individual city governments to allow or ban them on sidewalks, streets and bike paths.
The zippy scooters - in Ontario, they are supposed to max out at 24 km/h - are already being tested across Canada.
In Ottawa, residents embraced the rental scooters piloted in the downtown this summer. In Calgary, e-scooter injuries were sending six people to hospital per day last year. Montreal banned the technology this year after too many riders refused to wear helmets or left the scooters on the sidewalk.
That risk of abandoned scooters is also highlighted by accessibility advocates like the AODA Alliance, which is lobbying against the current pilot. But fans of the technology argue e-scooters provide a cheap, eco-friendly mobility option that is a COVID-safe alternative to crowded buses.
Hamilton has not yet decided whether to allow e-scooters - but at least two different rental companies, Bird and Lime, have registered to lobby city officials. Lime is already advertising for a Hamilton fleet specialist."
Ahead of council's decision, the city's advisory committee for persons with disabilities will debate a motion from Nolan calling for an e-scooter ban - at least until Ontario steps in to enforce better safety rules. That could include requiring insurance, training or licensing, he suggested.
Transportation planning director Brian Hollingworth said he expects to bring an e-scooter recommendation to council in November. So far, residents already using e-scooters have not spurred many complaints, but Hollingworth vowed to take the concerns of disability advocates into account.
If council legalizes e-scooter use, city staff will separately evaluate the prospect for rental businesses, which could add hundreds of scooters to local bike paths or sidewalks.
The city must also report soon on the search for a long-term operator for Hamilton's bike-share program recently abandoned by former operator Uber.
Hollingworth wouldn't reveal whether staff are exploring the possibility of a single contractor offering both services in Hamilton. Lime, an Uber partner, has run both e-scooter and bike-share services in other cities. It did not respond on Tuesday to Spectator questions about its interest in Hamilton.
Matthew Van Dongen is a Hamilton-based reporter covering transportation for The Spectator. Reach him via email: mvandongen@thespec.com