E-bikes are gaining popularity – but are riders following the rules?

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Nelson expects the trend to continue as e-bikes become a more practical form of transportation. But as their popularity grows, he is also seeing more people misuse the bikes or break the rules of the road.

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He said staff explain the rules to customers each time they leave the shop with an e-bike.

“All of our bikes have settings. When they leave the shop here, they’re completely road legal. They know that there’s options; if you’re going off-road, you can set that. But everybody leaves here understanding what the law of the road is,” Nelson said.  

Nelson said electric dirt bikes are becoming increasingly popular and that he has started seeing them being ridden around town, where they are not permitted.  

“ I seen one guy turn off the road and turn up the sidewalk past McKitrick School on a dirt bike. So there’s going to be a reckoning at some point here where everybody has to learn the rules. I kind of think that the dirt bikes are going to be the thing that triggers that,” Nelson said.  

He said the goal is not to prevent people from enjoying the bikes, but to make sure they are being used safely and appropriately.  

“We want everybody to have fun. But like anything, hot rodding, drag racing, anything, if people take it too far, they’re going to have to call it in because it’s for the safety of everybody. And we agree with that. You can have a lot of fun with these bikes. It doesn’t have to be downtown.”  

Legal e-bikes can travel up to 32 km/h and have a motor rated at no more than 500 watts. Riders must be at least 14 years old and wear a CSA-approved bicycle or motorcycle helmet.  

No driver’s licence or SGI registration is required, but riders must follow the rules of the road and any municipal bylaws.  

E-bikes must also have pedals. Electric cycles with motors larger than 500 watts or without pedals, as well as gas-powered cycles, are considered motorcycles and are subject to motorcycle licensing and equipment requirements. 

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alyssa.rudolph@pattisonmedia.com