Mississauga wants to get people on electric bikes and scooters

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Published March 7, 2022 at 3:51 pm

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Mississauga is trying to figure out how bicycles, electric bicycles and electric scooters can best be used to get people around the city safely and conveniently.

Specifically, they want to know how such a secondary transportation system can effectively get people either to their destination or their bus or train.

City of Mississauga officials are studying how a shared program of publicly available bicycles, electric bicycles (e-bikes) or electric scooters (e-scooters) could be used for travel in Mississauga.

“Micro-mobility devices like bikes, e-bikes and e-scooters are transportation alternatives to vehicles that are lightweight, low-emission and help connect residents to their transit stop or destination,” City officials say in an online description of the undertaking. “In Mississauga, a shared micro-mobility system could support the city’s greater transportation system, helping residents connect to the Hurontario LRT, the Mississauga Transitway, the active transportation network and key tourism destinations like Port Credit, Streetsville and downtown Mississauga.”

The City is working to define a system that suits Mississauga’s needs and size. This includes examining various things including financial viability and any economic benefits.

Mississauga officials are hosting an online community meeting on Tuesday (March 8) at 6:30 p.m. to gather input from residents and others.

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Meanwhile, the City is in the early stages of a five-year provincial pilot project launched in 2020 to determine if e-scooters are suitable to be operated on roadways.

Responding to the growing popularity of e-scooters for both basic transportation as well as recreation, the Ontario government unveiled the pilot program in January 2020. It allows for the operation of e-scooters, which the rider operates while standing, so long as municipalities opt in to the program by adopting or amending their bylaws to regulate their use.

In December 2020, Mississauga City council approved its interim e-scooter strategy.

Under the pilot, the devices, which are equipped with a hand brake, lights, bell and kickstand, are allowed on roads with a posted speed limit of up to 50 km/h as well as all cycling infrastructure such as multi-use trails and bike lanes. However, they are prohibited on sidewalks, roads with speed limits above 50 km/h, city park trails and the Mississauga Transitway.

Furthermore, riders must be at least 16 years old and must wear a helmet up to age 18. Passengers, as well as actions like pushing or towing another person, are not allowed. E-scooters are allowed on MiWay buses, as long as there is space and accessible seating and aisles aren’t blocked. They are not allowed on the bike rack nor can they be ridden on the bus.

“The purpose of the interim e-scooter strategy was to get feedback from the community on the use of e-scooters in the city, and for staff to use this feedback to help inform whether a shared micro-mobility system should become part of Mississauga’s transportation system in the future,” City officials say.

Mississauga’s Transportation Master Plan recommends that a shared system of bikes, e-bikes or e-scooters be created in the city.

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