Electric scooters will be able to circulate legally, from July 20, on streets where the speed is limited to 50 km/h or less. The Legault government gives the green light to a three-year project to test this type of vehicle for drivers aged 14 and over.
Electric scooters may be “illegal” for the moment in Quebec, but we come across more and more of them on the streets of Montreal, in particular. This legal vagueness will dissipate in two weeks due to a ministerial decree published Thursday by the Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, Geneviève Guilbault.
“It is necessary to experiment more widely with their use in respect of road safety”, argues the minister in the five-page document.
Although a self-service electric scooter project has been in operation since 1er July at Parc Jean-Drapeau and that another will be set up this summer in Laval, the Minister judges that “these pilot projects [de trottinettes en libre-service] do not make it possible to take the full measure of the use of electric scooters and personal transport devices”.
Electric scooters will be allowed to drive in Quebec at a maximum speed of 25 km/h. Motor power will be limited to 500 watts. They must be equipped with wheels with a diameter of at least 19 centimeters and reflectors. Their maximum weight will be 36 kilograms.
Only one person at a time can ride the scooters. Headphones will be prohibited.
“For two or three years, we have seen a fairly significant increase in these vehicles on the cycle network, and not just electric scooters,” explains Nicolas Vigneault, spokesperson for the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility.
He explains that the current legislation will also have to anticipate the arrival of new emerging vehicles in the coming years, such as gyroroues, these electric vehicles equipped with a single wheel, without support for the hands. These vehicles will also be permitted from July 20 under the decree adopted Thursday.
A project in Laval
For its part, the City of Laval, which was waiting for the green light from Quebec to launch a self-service scooter pilot project, will modify its municipal by-laws to comply with this new legislative framework. A first permit is ready to come into force with the supplier Bird Canada, confirms Philippe Déry, head of public affairs for the municipality.
“This is good news for citizens, because it opens the door to new forms of sustainable mobility,” argues the spokesperson. However, he cannot predict a launch date.
About a hundred scooters will be deployed this summer in 33 stations spread over the operating area located between Curé-Labelle and des Laurentides boulevards and between the A440 and the Rivière des Prairies. Other suppliers could join the project, according to the City.
The rate per minute, which will be set by the operator, has not been specified for self-service scooters in Laval. The cars will be equipped with GPS sensors that will allow them to be tracked live. If a user were to leave the operating area, the scooter would slow down gently before coming to a stop.