As we approach the end of the e-bike pilot, and the E-bike regulations have not been published, what else is there to do but fill in the gaps by reading tea leaves . . .
As a sample I offer two perhaps contradictory stories coming out of the first annual Ontario Bicycle Summit that was held last weekend in Waterloo. (see also Fighting for a safer ride of way,By Tess Kalinowski)
The first was reported was reported to Durham E-Bike Association Facebook Group member Barry Morgan:
“Hey Barry, just thought I would pass along this little excerpt from the cycling summit about e-bikes. The O.P.P officers I spoke with think there will be major changes coming in regards to e- bikes. I got to meet your sweethart from the T.O cyclists union and the nut case city councillor from Guelph. Suprisingly both have been fairly quiet in the seminars that I have seen them in. I’ll talk to you more Wednesday morning.
Shawn
–If you know someone with a power-assisted bicycle (the so-called e-bikes), they had better be prepared to get a motorcycle licence. The time limit for the pilot project allowing them on the road runs out in just a few short weeks: Oct. 9. Unless the pilot project is extended, or there is some kind of provincial proclamation legalizing e-bikes, they revert to the class of motor-assisted bicycles. That means licence and helmet and no more riding on sidewalks or bicycle lanes.”
The second is a report that the pilot will be extended as told in the blog “Take the Lane” by Bill Lean. What I particularly like about Bill’s column is his advice to treat e-bike riders as allies rather than enemies of cyclists.
Who or what to believe? We’ll just have to see, but I have to believe that the province will look pretty silly if it clamps down (through regulations) on e-bikes when this has not been done anywhere else in Canada.
P.S. For those of you who may not have heard, there was a collision between an E-Bike and a police cruiser reported on September 14th. Read the CP24 Report.
Thank you to Charles Jonah for sending me these links.