Only e-bikes that meet specific standards and regulations should be allowed in bike lanes and paths.Laura Proctor/The Canadian Press
Electric bicycles have become a common sight on the streets in recent years as people seek out affordable alternatives to gas-fuelled cars. Yet they are causing conflicts in some bike lanes, where traditional cyclists ride along with e-bikes weighing as much as 120 kilograms and travelling at 50 kilometres an hour. The vehicles are also causing concerns by pulling up illegally onto sidewalks. In Toronto, complaints from pedestrians have spurred the city to seek new enforcement options.
While some e-bikes are pedal-powered bicycles with batteries to help their riders climb hills, others are powerful machines that are essentially unlicensed motorcycles. All jurisdictions should treat the more powerful e-bikes as motor vehicles, and require licensing and insurance.
Cars remain the biggest danger on the road, but it’s clear that e-bikes also pose risks for cyclists and pedestrians. However, the biggest risk from e-bikes is to their own drivers. While data are poor, a report from the Canadian Automobile Association and the Traffic Injury Research Foundation says there has been a significant increase in e-bike injuries since 2011. Doctors have observed that e-bike injuries tend to resemble the severe injuries from motorcycle crashes.
A recent review of electric-bicycle deaths spells out in vivid detail why e-bikes need better regulation. The report, prepared by Ottawa’s chief coroner and other stakeholders, described five recent Ottawa e-bike fatalities. Three of the operators had suspended licences and appeared to be using e-bikes as unlicensed substitutes. Four of the five had intoxicants in their systems, and all five e-bikes had been modified to go at higher speeds than they were designed for. Despite being described as e-bikes, the vehicles resembled motorcycles, not pedal-driven bicycles.
Canada’s push for e-bikes gains speed, but lack of infrastructure leaves some riders behind
Canadian regulations haven’t kept up. The federal government repealed its rules for “power-assisted bicycles” in 2021, and they haven’t been replaced. There’s a wide variety of rules in the provinces, but generally, if an e-bike doesn’t exceed 500 watts or go faster than 32 km/h, a licence and insurance isn’t needed. Municipalities also have varying rules on if e-bikes are allowed in bike lanes and bike paths.
In Ontario, there’s a lot of confusion around e-bike rules, and little enforcement. Vendors sell “street-legal” e-bikes that can’t go over 32 km/h, but they are easily altered to surpass legal limits after purchase by adjusting motor settings or removing speed limiters.
The federal government, provinces and municipalities need to work together to create standard categorizations for the different types of e-bikes. Battery safety rules should also be standardized, given they are a fire hazard. Efforts should also be made for consistent data collection on accidents, so risks can be properly assessed.
In Ontario and some other provinces, the definition of what is an e-bike and doesn’t require a licence should be narrowed. The roads would be safer because licensing the drivers of motorcycle-type e-bikes would ensure they have the skill to safely operate them. This would also give police greater powers to enforce violations.
Ontario should follow the Ottawa report recommendations, which say that in order to be defined as an e-bike, a vehicle should be primarily pedal-powered. Ontario should also reduce the maximum weight of an e-bike from the current 120 kg to the report’s recommended 55 kg. Only vehicles that meet this narrower definition of e-bike should be allowed in bike lanes and bike paths. More serious enforcement will be required to make sure the rules are being followed.
Age minimums for all types of e-bikes should be set at age 16. Rules such as Alberta’s, which allow a 12-year-old to ride a “power bicycle” with no weight restriction and a top speed of 32 km/h, are a disaster waiting to happen.
Tighter rules for food delivery companies could also help. These companies should be required to ensure that their contractors’ e-bikes and batteries are legal and safe. The delivery companies should also revisit their own systems, which incentivize drivers to make deliveries as quickly as possible, and compete to get orders while on the road.
E-bikes have promise as a way to shift some drivers out of their cars and reduce carbon emissions, but in order to meet these aims, they need to be properly regulated. All three levels of government need to get serious about creating rules that will maximize safety for e-bike riders and everyone they interact with on our streets.