Unapproved motorcycles and mopeds will no longer be able to ride on public property in Quebec and are subject to fines of up to $600, the Société d’assurance-automobile du Québec (SAAQ) announced on Tuesday. The public body justifies its decision for reasons of safety and justice towards other users.
In recent years, the company has noted a sharp increase in the number of vehicles that look like mopeds (scooters) or motorcycles on public property in Quebec. According to the SAAQ, these vehicles – which often do not comply with safety standards – “represent a risk to the safety of vulnerable users who use sidewalks and bike paths because of their high weight and the speed they can reach.”
The new regulations now provide that all unregistered and non-safety compliant motor vehicles will be banned from public roads, whether on the roadway, sidewalks or bike paths. Offenders will be subject to a fine ranging from $300 to $600.
A legal gray area has long surrounded the use of these electrically powered vehicles. According to the regulations adopted by Quebec, electric bicycles had to have a maximum power of 500 watts and be limited to a speed of 32 km/h. However, several vehicles that looked more like mopeds or electric motorcycles managed to slip into this regulatory framework, sometimes even by equipping themselves with fake pedals.
Many bike path users have regularly reported feeling unsafe in their presence, whether because of the heavy weight of these vehicles or their sudden acceleration. Last year, a Montreal cyclist was hit by one of these vehicles while riding on the bike path on Willowdale Avenue, near the Université de Montréal. The 23-year-old woman, who had been off work for three weeks, was unable to receive compensation from the SAAQ because the vehicle involved in the accident was not registered.
“Good news,” according to Vélo Québec
The SAAQ’s announcement was welcomed by Vélo Québec’s program director, Magali Bebronne. “We were impatient for this to be resolved. The cycling community had been telling us for a long time that they were not comfortable sharing the bike paths with these machines,” she told Le Devoir.
In addition to being much heavier than electric-assist bikes, these electric scooters do not have pedals, “which makes them very quiet. You can’t hear them coming, so it’s very unsafe for cyclists,” explains Mme Bebronne.
Quebec’s announcement nevertheless left Vélo Québec wanting more. “We welcome it, but we are still disappointed, because we would have liked to resolve other elements on the electrically assisted bicycle,” adds Magali Bebronne.
The organization has long called for Quebec to amend the legislation, in particular to allow everyone from the age of 14 to ride an electric bike, as is the case for electric scooters. Currently, people aged 14 to 17 who want to ride an electric bike must have a class 6D licence (which allows them to ride a moped).
Vélo Québec would also have liked Quebec to make helmets optional for users of self-service electric bikes, such as those offered by BIXI and À Vélo. “These platforms are based on spontaneous use, the obligation to wear a helmet is limiting. European studies prove that by limiting the speed to 25 km/h without mandatory helmets, there is no increased risk,” concludes M.me Bebronne.