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The explosion in popularity of e-bikes and e-scooters has also led to a growth in the number of concerns being raised by Regina citizens.
The Regina Police Service (RPS) shared a number of the concerns being raised in a release, which included riding on sidewalks, failure to follow traffic rules, operation by underage youth, and near misses involving both motorists and pedestrians.
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The service issued a release on Thursday, reminding both riders and parents about the importance of being safe and following the rules and regulations when using e-bikes and e-scooters.
When it comes to the law, electric bike riders must be at least 14 years old and 16 years old to operate an electric scooter. Only one rider is permitted on an e-bike or e-scooter and they must not be operated on sidewalks.
E-bikes cannot be operated at a speed of greater than 32 km/h. E-scooters must not exceed 24 km/h on roadways or 15 km/h on pathways, and they cannot be operated on roads where the speed limit is over 50 km/h.
Additionally, riders must follow traffic signals, road markings and signs.
Tips shared by the police service for staying safe on e-bikes and e-scooters include wearing helmets and clothing that covers the skin. Lights and reflectors should be also be used, and clothing should be bright or reflective. Phones and headphones should not be used on e-bikes and e-scooters, and drugs and alcohol should not be consumed before or during riding. And bells or verbal alerts, such as “on your left” should be used when passing pedestrians.
Mike Seel, a constable with Regina police, said they are seeing an increase in complaints involving privately owned e-bikes, e-scooters and electric dirt bikes.
Seel said the traffic unit has noticed a rise in reports involving people riding electric vehicles in areas where they’re not permitted or without understanding the rules.
“I’d say at least a quarter of the complaints we get coming into our traffic complaint line are about younger children driving their scooters recklessly on the road,” Seel said.
One of the challenges police face, he explained, is the growing number of privately-purchased electric vehicles that are available online.
“The best thing to do is either to give the police a call or to contact SGI to see what actually is allowed to be driven,” he said.
Seel said some electric dirt bikes and similar rides can reach speeds of 70 kilometres per hour, creating serious risks when operated by young riders who don’t have the training or licensing required.
“Last night we actually had an incident involving this very exact situation,” Seel said. “There was three underage kids driving e-dirt bikes, they were driving excessively fast,” he said
Seel explained their focus is on educating children about electric rides, especially when families may not understand the rules around these vehicles. However, he noted more serious incidents will result in consequences.
“It’s not just legal ramifications (and) fines. It’s the whole psychological issue of getting and causing an accident, hurting yourself or hurting someone else,” he said.
Seel advised parents to check the rules before purchasing an electric vehicle and make sure they know where and how it should be used.
‘Dangerous’ driving of E-bikes results in $3,900 in traffic tickets for three kids
Later Thursday, Regina police shared a release detailing that three children – ages 12, 13 and 14 – have been issued traffic tickets amounting to more than $3,900.
The tickets came after the kids refused to stop for police while riding e-dirtbikes and e-scooters at high speeds through streets and paths in northwest Regina, police said.
The incident began around 8 p.m. on Wednesday, where a traffic safety unit officer noticed four youth – three on e-dirtbikes and one on an e-scooter – in the area of Lakeridge Road and Rochdale Boulevard.
“The youth were not complying with the rules of the road,” the release from police stated.
After activating his lights, the officer tried to pull the kids over but they did not stop riding.
The RPS eventually used its aerial support unit to track the children to their homes, after first tracking them to a greenspace where three fled from responding police officers. One child remained at the greenspace and spoke to police
Each of the three children who fled were issued #1,310 in traffic fines.
Further to their release, Regina police clarified that an e-bike is considered a power-assisted bicycle with pedals, while an e-dirtbike is any gas-powered cucle, electric bikes larger than 500 watts or electric bicycles without pedals and are considered motorcycles. Police said all motorcycle licensing requirements and equipment standards apply.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to correct an error regarding the speed limits for e-bikes.
–with files from 980 CJME’s Joshua Potter
