Man charged with impaired driving on e-bike

An image of a generic e-bike. (Pexels/Markus Spiske)

Guelph Police are reminding the public that impaired driving laws apply to all motorized vehicles, including e-bikes.

A Guelph man is facing charges after police said he was operating an e-bike while impaired.

Officers were called to a business on York Road just before midnight Friday, where they located an e-bike with keys in the ignition and two six-packs of beer on the footrest.

Police said a man carrying an empty beer can was identified by witnesses as the driver. Officers formed grounds to believe he was impaired.

After failing a roadside breath test, he was taken to the police station, where further testing confirmed he had more than the legal limit of alcohol in his system.

A 33-year-old Guelph man is charged with impaired operation. His licence was suspended for 90 days and his e-bike was impounded for seven days.

Police are urging residents to plan ahead if they intend to consume alcohol or cannabis and to never drive while impaired.

“Please don’t drive if you are going to consume alcohol or cannabis, and please ensure that you plan ahead so that you have a safe ride home,” police said in a news release.

Anyone who suspects an impaired driver is asked to call 911.