British Columbia motorists might have to tangle with electric skateboards, unicycles and mopeds in bike lanes if a pair of Victoria councillors get their way.
Councillors Jeremy Caradonna and Dave Thompson want Victoria City Council to demand that Premier David Eby amend the Motor Vehicle Act to include “diverse forms of transportation” including electric unicycles, mopeds and skateboards.
This isn’t the first time that Victoria has made such a request. A similar demand was presented in 2021, however, the government’s plan to update traffic laws was curtailed by the pandemic.
A motion before Victoria City Council calls on British Columbia to “permit the use of electric wheelchairs and mobility devices on local streets and in the bike and roll lane network via the Motor Vehicle Act and associated regulations.”
The councillors also want to “include new micro-mobility devices, including electric skateboards and mopeds and other difficult-to-categorize devices” in the legislation.
“It is essential that our bike and roll lanes welcome people of all ages and abilities, and that the
use of the lanes be safe and regulated,” the motion reads.
“One example is electric skateboards. Another is electric mopeds, which use both pedals and an electrified pedal assist. Electric unicycles are another example of a hard-to-categorize mobility type.”
As it stands, electric unicycles are not permitted on roads. Some models of portable devices can travel at a speed of up to 50 km/h.
Last year the BC NDP government tabled Bill 23, the Motor Vehicle Amendment Act. Bill 23 is currently in its third reading before the BC legislature.
Among the changes proposed in the update are a minimum safe-passing distance and minimum following distance for pedestrians and cyclists.
Additionally, the government wants heavy-duty commercial vehicles to be required to have speed-limiting equipment installed.
