Canada: e-scooters banned in Toronto

Due to numerous complaints from people with disabilities, the Toronto City Council unanimously decided in May to maintain the current ban on e-scooters in public places.

On May 5, 2021, a The Toronto City Council (Canada) is unanimously against approving any e-scooter visible in the public space. Experimental projects were also rejected. The reason for the decision is the potential risks to other road users: indoors, especially people with disabilities and the elderly, and the expected decline in terms of accessibility in the city. Objections of disabled people’s organizations, as well as employees: Within the city, Toronto had a decisive influence on the city council’s decision Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Infrastructure and Environment Committee.

Endangering security and lack of access

On the one hand, the criticism relates to endangering the elderly and the disabled, since drivers of e-scooters with a speed of up to 20 km / h do not have to meet any requirements (driving license, training, insurance, … ).

For blind and partially sighted people in particular, vehicles pose a danger when they are moving because they are almost silent and when they are standing because they can be stopped anywhere. On the other hand, they can be parked on the sidewalk for wheelchair users: indoors they can become an insurmountable barrier.

E-scooters increase taxpayer costs

The possibility of banning e-scooters on sidewalks only has been denied by law enforcement in Toronto, as this ban can only be enforced through massive increases in staff. This, in turn, would lead to higher costs for taxpayers. In addition, these expenses will increase due to the increase in health insurance expenses, which will be necessary to treat injuries caused by e-scooter accidents.