Thunder Bay's scooter, skateboard bylaws under review

Thunder Bay's engineering division is reviewing bylaws that dictate what is and isn't allowed on sidewalks and recreation trails.

Existing regulations don't cover many kinds of transportation that are new to the market, including scooters and skateboards.

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Active TransportationCo-ordinatorAdamKruppersays the city wants to promote these new forms of transportation, but not at the cost of pedestrian or rider safety.

We want to encourage the more efficient modes of transportation that decrease the cost of maintaining roads, but we also have to make sure that everybody is safe, he said.

Raynald Marchand, a spokesman for for the Canada Safety Council in Ottawa, says more and more cities are grappling with this issue. He says its important for to get municipal regulations right the first time.

For example, here in Ottawa, where originallythe Capital Commission had said the e-bikesand electric bikes can't be on the bicycle paths, and then it was changed and said 'yes they can,' and it created confusion, Marchand said.

Krupper said the citys engineering division is talking to other municipalities in Ontario and across Canada to find out how theyve addressed the issue. Its also consulting with police and businesses that sell electric vehicles.

You certainly don't want to be modifying the bylaw every time a new vehicle comes out, Krupper said.