Some residents living with disabilities opposed to bringing e-scooters back to the capital
Advocates for Ottawa residents living with disabilities say they are concerned about the possible return of electric scooters.
E-scooters are proving to be one of the most popular forms of transportation during the summer in Ottawa. The transportation committee will vote Wednesday on whether to bring back the scooters for a third pilot project.
“We’re hesitant to support it because it’s not proven yet that it’s actually going to happen,” says Dean Steacy, chair of government relations for the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians (AEBC).
“Right now you’ve got the advisory committee that’s voted 7 to 1 against,” says Steacy. “So that should say something to the transportation committee.”
Some say these scooters still pose a threat to those living with a disability, including Wayne Antle, president of the AEBC for Ottawa-Gatineau.
“It’s almost impossible to enforce the rules with so many e-scooters, and so many riders,” says Antle. “So I really don’t think that they have addressed the issues that we’ve raised.”
One major issue is riders using and parking scooters in the middle of the sidewalk. Bird Canada CEO Stewart Lyons says their scooters have improved accuracy to prevent this.
“Much greater precision than we’ve ever had before. Where a scooter is, and where it’s going,” says Lyons. “And that helps up prevent things like sidewalk riding. It helps us do things like precision parking, which forces it to park in a 20 centimetre box.”
“I’m not convinced that the GPS accuracy is fine tuned enough to pick out if one is left in the middle of the sidewalk,” says Antle.
The City of Ottawa has made it clear that in order for companies to operate here, they must comply with some new stricter guidelines.
- Newest generation of e-scooters
- Cannot be driven on sidewalks
- Can only be parked in designated spots
- Response time to address issues reduced to 15 minutes (originally 1 hour)
- E-scooters must emit a constant sound while operating
Still, David Lepofsky, chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Alliance says that residents likely still won't hear the scooters coming up behind them.
“You’ve got to remember, you’re using this on a city street downtown,” says Lepofsky. “A truck goes by, jack hammers are going off, there’s loud music nearby. It’s got to be loud enough to warn you and they have not found that.”
Lepofsky also thinks the city is putting residents living with disabilities on the back burner.
“If it’s creating a barrier, and a risk for seniors, if people are afraid to go out because they’re afraid to be hit—all of which are feedback that we’ve heard from town halls on this in Ottawa—then I’m sorry, their safety should be the priority,” says Lepofsky.
The e-scooter companies say that safety is top of mind and that the new generation of scooters will address any issues from the previous two years.
“They may be testing prototype technologies, but vulnerable pedestrians shouldn’t be used as guinea pigs in another pilot while they test this technology,” says Antle.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.