In the past decade, there’s been an influx of e-bikes across Canadian cities—powered two-wheelers that run on battery juice, filling the traditional role of mopeds and scooters but without any registration or certification. Now, in Quebec, those e-bikes are about to disappear.
Or at least, they’re going to disappear from public roads if the provincial government has their way. Last week, Quebec’s auto insurance board voted to ban e-bikes if they haven’t passed government safety checks.
“Over the past few years, a multitude of vehicles that look like mopeds or motorbikes have appeared on the market and are being used on roads, bicycle paths and sidewalks,” said a SAAQ news release. “These vehicles pose a safety risk to vulnerable users of sidewalks and cycle lanes because of their high weight and speed. What’s more, they are not safety certified to current standards.”
The SAAQ also pointed out it is unfair to let non-compliant e-bikes run around on public roads while other users pay to register and insure their machines on the same streets, and go to the effort of getting the appropriate driver’s licence.
It all boils down to this: As of August 6, the faster e-bikes that haven’t passed a government safety certification are going to be greatly restricted. If the e-bike can’t hit more than 32 km/h or has a nominal power under 500 watts, then they’ll probably be safe. There’s no need to panic, necessarily, if you’ve been relying on an e-bike to get around. But if you’ve been riding dirty on a higher-powered e-bike that didn’t have a safety certification (Quebec will accept certification stamps from Mexico or the US), then you can get a fine of $300 to $600.
Government being government, there are a few exceptions, mostly for older vehicles made in the early 2000s or earlier. But, generally speaking, the wild-west era of e-bikes is over in Quebec—as long as the laws are actually enforced, which is a whole other question on its own. Will Ontario and other regions of Canada follow soon? And if so, how are the thousands of delivery businesses who rely on these vehicles going to manage? Stay tuned…
I hope it prompts Surron and the like to release bikes that I can put a plate on. Currently it seems to be kids too young for a drivers license riding what amounts to quiet unplated dirtbikes on the street.
That’s a good move and I hope other provinces follow. The majority of the operators are reckless whether it’s riding them on and off sidewalks or on the shoulder of the freeway. Rarely do they wear helmets or have any clue how to ride them.
Harken back to the gasoline powered moped laws of the late 1970s. The first few years was a wild west show (no plate, insurance, operator’s licence) and every DUI in town wanted one to run to the beer store. Then the gov (at least in Ontario) stepped in and tightened down the rules. I would guess that within a year the vast majority disappeared from public roads. The biggest fear (IMO) is that when someone gets clobbered by one of those things and there is no liability insurance involved. The vehicle operator could get sued for every penny they have (if any) and it could end up in courts for years. That’s what has the insurance companies twitching. It’s all a matter of enforcement, the rules are there.
I don’t disagree with the regulation of the faster e-bikes but it’s funny that they mention safety. Most of these e-bikes have some sort of eco or slow mode that tops them out at 32km/h. Meanwhile the slowest car you can get in Canada, the Mitsubishi Mirage has a top speed of 180km/h in a province where the speed limit is 100. If safety was actually a concern there would be governors and breathalyzers in every car. It would save billions of dollars in health/justice/insurance. But that will never happen. In cars, we have the freedom to manage our own top speed and alcohol consumption. But ban faster e-bikes because they can go faster than 32km/h because of safety? Wild.
“But ban faster e-bikes because they can go faster than 32km/h because of safety? ”
Semantics I know, but when do they stop being electrically assisted pedal vehicles and become full on electric motorcycles ? Machines like the Zero or Livewire must carry all the same legal protections as their ICE counterparts. When I get passed by an e-scooter in a 60kmh zone something is amiss.