E-scooters will soon be allowed on 琉璃神社 streets.
Under a three-year provincial Motor Vehicle Act pilot program, 琉璃神社 residents and tourists will be allowed to use the city鈥檚 road network to scoot around town on shared or privately-owned electric scooters.
Previously, shared e-scooter programs operated in 琉璃神社 through the summer of 2019, but they were only permitted on certain shared pathways, providing limited usage as a legitimate means of transportation.
A bylaw change will allow scooters to traverse roadways in the same way bikes and e-bikes do, making them a more practical commuter option.
鈥淭hrough the development of our Transportation Master Plan, it is clear we need to find low-cost ways to move more people through our existing road space,鈥� said Mariah VanZerr, the city鈥檚 strategic transportation planning manager, in a presentation to city council on Monday, April 12.鈥漅ather than a novelty, this change will enable e-scooters to be used for more utilitarian transportation purposes.鈥�
Alongside some of the companies that provided scooter-share programs in 2019, two new operators are coming to 琉璃神社, Lime and Helbiz.
Riders will be expected to wear helmets, but most companies will be offering them for free, either by shipping a requested helmet to a user鈥檚 home or via public helmet giveaways.
The bylaw change is set to be adopted at a council meeting on April 19.
City staff will report back to council before the end of 2021 with an evaluation of the city鈥檚 micromobility permit program as a whole, including both e-scooter and e-bike share programs.
Correction: A previous version of this story said the bylaw change had already been adopted; this is not the case. The bylaw is scheduled to be adopted at a 琉璃神社 city council meeting on April 19.
READ MORE: 琉璃神社 mayor claims spotty attendance at regional district meetings is not due to volunteerism
Do you have something to add to this story, or something else we should report on? Email: michael.rodriguez@kelownacapnews.com
Like us on and follow us on .
