The City of Grande Prairie is considering options to open up e-bike and e-scooter rentals to provide more transportation options for residents.
During the city council’s recent Public and Protective Services Committee meeting, Managing Director of Enforcement Services for the city Helen Napier provided a report regarding what the process of introducing e-bike and e-scooter rentals would look like in Grande Prairie.
Within her presentation, Napier made the committee aware of what many cities including Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, and Lethbridge, have done to ensure safety and efficiency for residents and rental services alike.
According to Napier, the typical process for the authorization of shared e-scooters and bikes in a municipality includes a public engagement opportunity, a request for proposals to locate any interested companies, and issuing a letter of support for any successful businesses to provide the service. Despite this, Napier maintains that the city must consider several factors before making any high-level decisions.
“My research has shown that every municipality has a different set of rules.”
“Many cities desire to limit the number of shared e-scooter companies to a small number, at least in the first pilot year,” she says. “I think there’s a lot of perspectives that need to be gained from different stakeholders before any decisions are made.”
The city would also need to amend the Traffic Bylaw and Parklands Bylaw to regulate shared e-scooters and bikes, including etiquette for riders and age requirements.
“I do handle some complaints when it’s about the mix of e-bikes, or bikes and pedestrians on our trail systems, but it hasn’t got to my level so I think if it’s happening, the reporting is not there,” Napier says.
Ultimately, the committee chose to receive the report for information and the matter will be discussed further during an upcoming council meeting.
