Ford government to review Ontario's cycling policy amid surge in e-bikes, scooters

The Progressive Conservative government plans to review the rules of the road for cyclists and a host ofelectric vehicles in Ontario, but the transportation minister says he "doesn't see a reason" to re-instatebicycle licences.

With more riders hitting the streets, the province intends to examine Ontario's cycling policy as part of its subway upload legislation,Transportation Minister Jeff Yurek said Thursday.

"A review would ensure that we have the proper safety, roads, Highway Traffic Act, and other acts that we have to ensure that there's rules to follow for cyclists and there's rules to follow for vehicles,"he told CBCRadio's Metro Morning.

The bill, introduced Thursday at Queen's Park,will tackle a range of transportation-related issues.

As part of this legislation, the provincewill get the wheels turning on the need to regulate electric bikes, scooters and skateboards,all of which are new to Ontario's transportation network, Yureksaid.

These power-assisted modes of travel have all gained popularity in recent years.

But they require cities to amend bylaws and the Ontario Traffic Safety Act.Current laws prohibit the use of off-road vehicles on municipal roads unless the community passes a bylaw to allow for it.

Ontario is not the only province in Canada, however, that currently preventsthe use of e-scooters, e-skateboards and e-bikes on its streets. Alberta and B.C. have similar laws on the books.

The main goal of the governmentreview, Yurekexplained, is to improve conditions and ensure safe and accessible ways for Ontariansto get around.

Aims to improve road safety for cyclists

Road safety for cyclists in Toronto has been a hot-button topic for years.

Canada's most populous cityhas been criticizedby urban planners and cycling advocatesfor a piecemeal approach to cycling infrastructure, with many saying it lags behind other urban centres across the country.

In 2016, the city of Toronto announced its Vision Zero plan to eliminate road deaths. That same year, city council approved a 10-year cycling network plan aimed at expanding cycling infrastructure through a 525-kilometre bike lane network.

Various bike lane pilot projects have popped up in recent years, from the Adelaide-Richmond cycle tracks to the now-permanent BloorStreet bike lanes, but advocates sayother areas are lagging behind.

So far, Vision Zerohasn't madea significant difference. Toronto police statisticsshow40 pedestrians and cyclistswere killed in 2017, while 44 died the year before that.

While Toronto has committed to curbing road deaths, the city does not have an overarching rubric governing all aspects of transportation.

A recent explosion in transportation innovations, including electronic vehicles and ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft, have created need for a defined set of goals and principles across Canada and the U.S.

Toronto, like other municipalities, hasbeen playing a game of regulatory catch-up when new transportation services are introducedsuch as when Uber arrived back in 2012. It took the city another four years before it formally regulated the ride-hailing industry.

Bicycle licencesfirst considered over 80 years ago

Toronto abolished bicycle licencesin the late 1950s. The move repealed abylaw passed by city council two decades earlier that focused on riding on sidewalks, traffic law compliance and bike use by couriers.

But the PCs say they don't see the need to register and licensecycliststo enforce the rules of the road.

"I don't see what the reasoning would be to license cyclists," Yurek said.

"It's something that we do as we're three, four, five, six years old, depending on your ability to ride a bike."

According to the city's website, staff have examined, studied and rejected bicycle licensing three times in recent historymost recently in 1996.

Among the reasons the city says it's rejected the idea in the past:

• The difficulty of keeping databases complete and current.
• Challenges licensing children who ride bikes.
• That licensing alone doesn't result in any meaningful change in the behaviour of those cyclists who disobey traffic laws.