Castlegar will sign up for a provincial pilot program that will legalize the use of e-scooters in the city.
After receiving a staff report on the subject this week, council voted unanimously in favour of joining over 30 other muncipalities as part of the program.
“We already have these in our community, and I would rather that we are constructively finding a way to allow people to use them in a safe way,” said councillor Darcy Bell. “I think education and communication is going to be a huge piece.”
By joining the pilot, e-scooter use in Castlegar will be subject to provincial rules, to be enforced by the RCMP. The city has the option of adding further restrictions on where and how they are used, but isn’t planning to do so for the moment.
City manager Chris Barlow suggested first joining the program before honing in on any problems. Mayor Maria McFaddin said there is some onus on people who buy e-scooters to educate themselves on the rules that govern their use, but she didn’t favour adding further restrictions. She also said that she had “minimal” expectations of city staff to govern use of the vehicles.
Councillors noted some people may have purchased e-scooters as a way of commuting to Selkirk College, but under the pilot program, the devices are limited to maximum speeds of 25 km/h.
RCMP Staff Sgt. Monty Taylor said while using e-scooters on city streets is illegal in Castlegar at the moment, it is very rare for police to issue tickets. He said he wasn’t sure if legalizing their use under the pilot program will mean less work for police, because more people might now buy them.
The provincial pilot program ends in April 2028, after which the government will decide whether to authorize e-scooters permanently. The program does not include mobility scooters or e-bikes.
