
An electric kick scooter being used in the Sixth Avenue bike lane in downtown Kamloops. (Photo via Victor Kaisar)
The city of Kamloops is looking to move forward with an electric scooter pilot program.
It would allow the legal use of E-scooters in participating communities. Currently, Kamloops is not participating, but Council voted 8-1 to move forward with one. Staff will now put together a Request for Proposal for an operator to come forward and run the trial program.
Nii Noi Akuetteh, Transportation Engineer or projects and alternative modes, says the opportunities with a shared service provider are endless. “We will be able to establish deployment zones ahead of time. We’ll be able to define parking areas. We will be able to use a lot of their technologies, such as geo fencing, low speed zones, no ride zones, and so forth. And there’s also the potential for for income for the city once we when we get there.”
Currently, electric kick scooters are only permitted for use on roads in participating pilot communities. As Kamloops is not a participating pilot community at this time, electric kick scooters cannot be lawfully used in our community. RCMP could hand out traffic tickets if they chose to.
The province is encouraging communities to join the pilot to assess the benefits and effects of people using electric kick scooters and evaluate how scooters can be safely integrated into the local transportation networks.
The province launched the pilot back in 2021 and to date, 23 communities in BC have signed up. Those are: Chilliwack, Colwood, Coquitlam, Cranbrook, Kelowna, Langford, North Vancouver, Penticton, Port Moody, Richmond, Vancouver, Vernon, Central Saanich, Saanich, Oak Bay, City of West Vancouver, District of North Vancouver, Oliver, Osoyoos, Sidney, View Royal, Esquimalt, and Langley.
The city says that Vernon’s initial two-year pilot saw more than 215,000 trips taken by electric kick scooters, with 40% of the 470,000 km travelled reported to have replaced car trips.
Councillor Margot Middleton did have some concern about scooters being strown about. “Cities aren’t enforcing back to their rental providers that they must do a better job of of collecting and not having scooters lying around over sidewalks. But I see these things everywhere, lying on sidewalks. I just can’t quite wrap my head around how that type of a program would be a benefit to our city.”
Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson thinks it would be great for Kamloops. “There’s enough communities doing it. I think it’s sounds very safe. I don’t think you ought to worry about they own the machine. So just because you think a machine sitting over there all by itself, guess what? You go to pick it up and steal it, you’re going to get because it’s got GPS on it and everything. And it’s actually probably good. The same users may may use them that you might think it’s out in the middle of nowhere, but that might be a route that they use.”
Councillor Kelly Hall would like staff to look into how the city can produce some income should the scooter program move ahead. “I think the average trip, like, when you get into one of these rentals, it’s like 40 cents a minute, yes, something like that. So I mean, if we charge 75 cents a minute, you look at the data that Vernon has 450,000 kilometers in two years. Okay, there’s about $30,000 worth of revenue right there that we can generate, and maybe that revenue can go to offset something else.”
Rules and Regulation
• 50 km/h or less: If the road has a speed limit of 50 km/h or less, you must use a designated cycling lane if one is available or stay as far right as practicable unless directed elsewhere by a traffic control device.
• Above 50 km/h: If the road has a speed limit above 50 km/h, you can only use an electric kick scooter in a designated cycling lane.
• Signs and signals: You must obey any signs or other traffic control devices indicating where electric kick scooters may or may not be used.
Sidewalk and crosswalk use: you cannot ride an electric kick scooter on sidewalks or in crosswalks, except if a sign or traffic control device allows electric kick scooters on sidewalks or in crosswalks.
The Motor Vehicle Act has other requirements to promote rider and community safety, including:
• Riders must be 16 or older (parent/guardian cannot knowingly permit a person under 16).
• Safety helmets are required whenever riding an electric kick scooter.
• Bells or horns should be used when approaching or passing pedestrians, cyclists, etc.
• Electric kick scooters are single use, and riders must not carry passengers or tow people or devices.
• Riders should ride single file, except to pass.
• Turn signals (hand or lighted turn signals) should be used.
• Front and rear lights must be turned on between sunset and sunrise (the operator may also wear lights).
• Riders should not use electric kick scooters while impaired or distracted