The number of tickets issued to Montrealers riding electric bikes almost tripled from 2019 to 2023, going from 755 to 2000, according to data transmitted to The Press following a request for access to information.
The upward trend is not expected to continue for the year 2024, with the Montreal Police Department (SPVM) having already issued 1,301 tickets as of July 29.
At a time when BIXI self-service electric bikes are becoming more numerous and popular, Vélo Québec is asking the Quebec government to relax the Highway Safety Code.
According to Article 492.2, it is mandatory to wear a helmet when riding a “power-assisted bicycle”.
The cycling promotion body had hoped that the government would take advantage of the ban on unregistered scooters, motorcycles and mopeds – a ministerial decree came into force on July 30 – to drop the helmet requirement for users of self-service electric bikes.
Assisted bicycles account for about a quarter of the BIXI fleet and are, all things considered, 25 to 30% more used than their traditional counterparts. In Quebec City, the àVélo service offers only electric bicycles, 1,300 of them, distributed among 115 stations.
PHOTO MARIKA VACHON, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Magali Bebronne, Program Director at Vélo Québec
“We see more and more regular users wearing helmets, and that’s great! It’s become a social norm,” notes Magali Bebronne, program director at Vélo Québec. “But for spontaneous use, for example if there’s a metro breakdown and there are only blue bikes [donc électriques] At a station, there is a kind of sword of Damocles where you risk meeting a policeman and having to pay $130.”
Between security and spontaneity
In many European countries, such as France and Germany, the rules are the same for electric bikes that reach 25 km/h and mechanical bikes; helmets are strongly recommended, but not mandatory.
In the United States, about half of the states have no regulations regarding protection, regardless of the class of bicycle. Regulations in other jurisdictions vary depending on the age of the rider and the maximum speed of the bike.
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
Helmeted cyclists on electric bikes on the Réseau express vélo (REV) on rue Saint-Denis
“According to European studies, electric bicycles limited to 25 km/h and with pedal assistance only are not associated with a higher level of risk than mechanical bicycles,” underlines Mme Bebronne, from Vélo Québec1.
The maximum propulsion speed of BIXIs is currently set at 32 km/h. “The condition that we would put on the exemption from wearing a helmet on electric self-service bikes would be to lower the speed to 25 km/h,” she says.
In an email sent to The PressBIXI says it encourages “all best practices, both in prevention, in education and by raising awareness among users to adopt responsible and safe behavior on bikes.”
BIXI notes that wearing a helmet is “the only effective protection against head injuries, which occur in 95% of cycling injuries, according to the most recent study by the Government of Canada.”
“We focus a lot on the benefits of helmets in the event of a fall, but the best way to reduce the overall risk in terms of road safety is to have fewer cars,” emphasizes Magali Bebronne.2.
“Someone who takes their car is safer than a bicycle user, that’s for sure, but they represent four to seven times more risk of death for other users. Someone who takes their bicycle rather than their car is providing a service to the community.”
What’s more, she points out, laws requiring the wearing of helmets have a “modest” effect on its adoption by cyclists, according to a scientific opinion from the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec.3.
The notices of violation under section 492.2 include non-compliant electric bikes and the age of the users: minors who ride an electric bike can receive a fine ranging from $60 to $100 plus costs. “At 14, you can ride an electric scooter, but not a bike,” wonders M.me Bebronne, who sees this as a “double standard”.
The SPVM emphasized in an email that it cannot make any assumptions about the increase in the number of tickets issued. “There could be various reasons (increasing number of electric bikes, arrival of electric BIXIs, increased vigilance by police officers, targeted operations, etc.) and we have not conducted an analysis on this subject,” said a spokesperson.
With William Leclerc, The Press
1. Read a study published in the Journal of Transport & Health on electric bike safety (in English)
2. Check out the International Transport Forum report on micromobility
3. Consult a summary of the INSPQ’s scientific advice on wearing a bicycle helmet
Songs that cost a lot
Wearing headphones while cycling, a practice prohibited by the Highway Safety Code, continues to fill the city’s coffers. 1,046 cyclists were issued a ticket by the SPVM in 2023. The number of tickets issued for this offence had dropped significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, from 1,201 in 2019 to 441, 655 and 794 in 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively. Tickets rebounded in 2023, and 2024 could see a new increase. As of July 29, 969 pairs of blocked eardrums were fined. According to the Highway Safety Code, cyclists cannot wear headphones. However, drivers of road vehicles are authorized to wear headphones in either ear. “It’s always a good idea to be alert on the road and to be able to use all of our senses, but once again, it’s hard to understand why there is a double standard between cyclists and motorists,” reacts Magali Bebronne, of Vélo Québec.
Learn more
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- 52%
- Proportion of electric BIXI users who said they wore a helmet in 2021, according to an internal survey
Source: BIXI Montreal
- From 50% and 69%
- Head injuries reduced in cyclists when wearing helmets, according to various studies
National Institute of Public Health of Quebec