As residents of Laval grow accustomed to seeing electric scooters on the city’s many boulevards, avenues and streets, the Laval Police have been handing out traffic tickets to scooter drivers who burn red lights, drive on the sidewalk or don’t wear a helmet.
According to figures cited by the TVA news network, the LPD handed out 37 traffic tickets to electric scooter operators this year between the beginning of January and July 2.
Last year, the provincial transportation ministry (Transports Québec) launched a three-year research undertaking to determine how to safely integrate Motorized Personal Transport Devices (MPTD) – which includes a range of new vehicles – with other existing types of transportation to see if the highway code should be amended.
According to rules applying during a trial period before any highway code changes are formally made, drivers of MPTDs must be at least 14 years of age and wearing a helmet.
They are allowed to drive an MPTD on any road where the maximum posted speed is 50 km/h, as long as the vehicle they are driving is equipped with brakes.
However, the speed of vehicles cannot exceed 25 km/h, and they must be equipped with red reflectors at the rear and a white reflector in the front.
As well, the vehicles must have a white headlight in front for night-time use and an illuminated red light at the rear.
The drivers are also not allowed to carry passengers.
And vehicles cannot weigh more than 36 kilograms (including the battery).
The fine for breaking any of these rules is $200.
It should be noted that under the proposed rules, most skateboards (motorized or not) would not meet highway code standards because they are not equipped with brakes.
The City of Laval, in the meantime, in conjunction with the transport ministry, has been encouraging the use of electric scooters by facilitating the short-term rental of self-serve scooters (Lime and Bird) as part of a larger effort to combat climate change.
