The Alberta government is working on a potential framework that would enable municipalities to allow and enforce micromobility devices like e-scooters on their own. A spokesperson for the transportation ministry said the potential framework could be one of several changes made to modernize the Traffic Safety Act. They did not provide a timeline for the work to be finished, but Alberta Municipalities president Dylan Bressey told CTV News Edmonton his organization expects – and hopes – to see a change made as soon as this fall to come into effect by spring. “We haven’t seen the framework as of yet. We do hope that we’re consulted before it gets unveiled because we really do want to work with the province to make it as effective and reasonable as possible,” Bressey said in a virtual interview. Alberta Municipalities has advocated for a provincial framework for years. Currently in Alberta, privately owned e-scooters are not allowed on municipal property. Companies like Lime and Bird have been permitted to operate in the bigger cities through a provincial exemption for approved vendors. Bressey called the situation a “wild, wild west.” “Municipalities don’t really have the ability to enforce anything unless they’re going to ticket somebody every single time they’re on a scooter or a micromobility device, and that’s just not a realistic enforcement action to take.” He hopes municipalities will receive the power to decide where e-scooters are allowed to be used, but can also see himself supporting provincewide limits on things like speed or weight. In Grande Prairie where Bressey is a councillor, there are no commercial operators but he has noticed an uptick in personal devices. “These are becoming an important part of people’s commutes and recreation, but still, the people both on them and around them need to be safe as well. And as they become more and more prevalent, more issues are arising on our sidewalks and trails.” On the last episode of her biweekly radio program, Premier Danielle Smith called the issue “very serious” and “needing some regulation.” “We probably could set some speed limits. We could probably set some limits on where they’re able to go. We probably need to set some limits on age if you’re going to be using them and what kind of protective gear that (would be required), but those are the kind of things we’re consulting on right now,” Smith said on Sept. 12, inviting feedback to be sent to the transportation ministry. The City of Edmonton said it is aware that the province is considering amendments to the Traffic Safety Act, and that city representatives were involved in discussions with the Government of Alberta. “That discussion focused on updating definitions related to micromobility devises, and input was provided by the city’s Community Standards Branch along with Parks and Road Services and Safe Mobility,” said a statement from the city Monday. Any proposed legislation will be assessed by the city once further details are made available.
