E-scooters are coming to Saskatoon once things thaw out.
Saskatoon city council gave the green light Wednesday to the shared electric kick scooter pilot program, which passed two bylaws related to e-scooters.
Jay Magus, Director of Transportation for the city of Saskatoon said they are procuring up to two companies to supply e-scooters to the city, with the procurement document closing on Friday.
“Today it basically makes it legal for those e-scooter companies that we select through the process to operate on Saskatoon streets,” Magus said.
He said they’re shooting for the end of April or the beginning of May for the e-scooters to become available, noting it is weather dependent.
Parts of the bylaws indicate that e-scooters can be used on shared-use paths and streets with a speed limit of 50 km/h or less that don’t have a cycle track or shared-use path.
They add that they can’t be used on sidewalks unless they are a shared-use path.
People operating e-scooters need to yield to pedestrians, and also can’t have passengers.
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Curtis Mead with SGI said they’ve created regulations on a provincial level that also give authority to municipalities to create e-scooter bylaws.
“Municipalities are in the best position to determine what is best for their city. So we’re on board, we support their e-scooter project moving forward, and they can determine whether e-scooters are a good fit for the city,” Mead said.
He said consultations began in 2021 with many municipalities and organizations, noting the provincial regulations came down in the Fall of 2022.
“Anytime you introduce a new vehicle type there’s always an element of risk.”
Mead said an education and awareness campaign is coming down to inform the general public about e-scooters and e-scooter use.
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