Airdrie Celebrates Canada Day with Electric Scooters

Come July 1st, a small town outside Calgary called Airdrie will start with its own electric scooter pilot program. The program will run until the end of October 2023. The City Council will provide funding of $5,000 to assist with certain education initiatives to ensure residents will be able to access the necessary information to learn rules, safety guidelines, and laws made regarding electric scooters and even e-bikes.

However, city officials made sure to note that personal e-scooters fall under different restrictions. Primarily, they will not be allowed on sidewalks and roadways, only designated pathways. A full chart breakdown for the various forms of micro-mobility are available on the city's website. According to the Provincial Traffic Safety Act, 

Personal e-scooters are not regulated by the Province (under the Provincial Traffic Safety Act) in terms of speeds or other safety considerations. Therefore, personal e-scooters cannot be operated on City sidewalks or roadways. Personal e-scooters can only be operated on City pathways. Personal e-scooters must follow the same rules and rider etiquette as other modes of micromobility including safety for other micromobility users and pedestrians and acceptable parking practices. E-scooters on roadways and sidewalks are regulated under the Alberta Traffic Safety Act. Personal e-scooters are not allowed on roadways or sidewalks without a provincial exemption.

Shared e-scooters fall under the provincial exemption mentioned as their speeds and areas of operation can be more easily regulated. Regardless of what people are riding, the city is urging riders to ride safely and responsibly. This includes but is not limited to, yielding to pedestrians and utilizing the bell when appropriate to notify pedestrians. GOTRAX urges its riders the same precautionary instructions. Safety is of the upmost importance and comes before everything else. Give a good name for all who utilize micro-mobility in some way to not leave a bad impression and inspire others to find new ways to travel and commute outside of their cars. 

Ride Together. Ride GOTRAX!