On June 16, 2009 I will be taking part in a consultation (face to
face) at the Ministry of Transport, Ontario (MTO) with regard to draft
regulations on the use of power assisted bicycles (e-bikes) in Ontario.
This consultation will take place before the regulations are posted for
more general comment on the Regulatory Registry.
Before speaking to the MTO I would like to be prepared with a good
understanding of what current e-bike riders and their supporters are
expecting to be included (or not included) in these regulations and so
I have put together the attached survey. Please note that I do not have
any idea what the MTO is planning for the regulation of e-bikes. The
survey is based on my own personal speculation about things that they
might be considering.
If you would like to contribute to this discussion please copy the following questions into an e-mail with your answers. I will keep the results of this survey private until I have had a chance to talk to the MTO. I will eventually publish the statistics of the answers on the http://ebikernetwork.org web site. Names will be kept confidential.
Warren Christiani President, Durham E-Bike Association
or
In answering the questions please answer from the point of view of whether the issue would be serious enough to cause you to stop riding your e-bike (or not start, if you don't already have an e-bike).
Please feel free to elaborate on your answers if you feel you need to explain yourself.
1. If any proposed regulations would resulted in extra initial costs at the time that you purchased your bike (e.g. for bike registration) at what level would you consider the costs to be too high?
a) $0 - $50 b) $50 - $ 100 c) $100 - $250 d) $250 - $500 e) > $500
2. If any proposed regulations would result in extra annual costs (e.g. for bike insurance) at what level would you consider the costs to be too high?
a) $0 - $50 b) $50 - $ 100 c) $100 - $250 d) $250 - $500 e) > $500
3. A requirement to register and have a license plate on my e-bike would prevent me from riding an e-bike.
a) Yes b) No c) Depends on the cost (see question 1 & 2).
4. A requirement to carry insurance would prevent me from riding an e-bike.
a) Yes b) No c) Depends on the cost (see question 2).
5. A requirement to obtain and have an operator license would prevent me from riding an e-bike.
a) Yes b) No c) Depends on the cost (see question 1 & 2).
6. I would have an issue if MTO regulations prohibited me from riding e-bikes on off-road bike paths.
a) Yes b) No
7. I would have an issue if MTO regulations allowed local municipalities to prohibit me from riding e-bikes on off-road bike paths.
a) Yes b) No
8. I would have an issue if MTO regulations prohibited me from riding e-bikes in on-road designated bike lanes.
a) Yes b) No
9. I would have an issue if MTO regulations prohibited scooter style e-bikes either directly or by setting restrictive weight or dimension specifications.
a) Yes b) No
----------------------- E-Bike Rider Statement to the MTO: (What are the benefits to yourself and the community of being able to ride an e-bike?)
News 
