More than 1,275 tickets and warnings have been served to Vancouver e-scooter riders as part of a month-long enforcement blitz, police said Friday. The campaign targeting illegal behaviours such as riding without a helmet, riding under the legal age of 16, and riding on the sidewalk began Sept. 4 and will continue through this weekend. The Vancouver Police Department said missing helmets have accounted for the majority of incidents flagged during the blitz, resulting in 167 tickets and 753 warnings. “Over the summer, we saw at least one person seriously injured, and sadly one fatality,” said Insp. Stephanie Willoughby, in a statement. “We started the enforcement project to coincide with the start of the school year so we could help keep people safe.” Back in June, B.C. Children’s Hospital sounded the alarm about a spike in e-scooter injuries, more than half of which involved riders without helmets. At the time, doctors warned most of the patients coming in were also between the ages of 13 and 15—meaning they were not allowed to be riding in the first place—and the majority had been speeding. B.C. has imposed a limit of 25 km/h for electric kick scooters, and devices capable of exceeding that speed are not legal on the roads—though some off-market and online retailers sell models capable of going significantly faster. Vancouver police noted riders are not allowed to “double” on the devices either, despite how many young people are seen doing just that. Police have handed out 84 tickets and warnings for doubling so far in their enforcement blitz. Another 181 tickets and warnings have been issued out for riding on the sidewalk. “E-scooters are a great mode of transportation, but we want people to know the rules and get to their destination safely,” said Willoughby. “Not everyone is using them properly, so Vancouver police officers are raising awareness about the rules and issuing tickets where necessary.” Authorities said e-scooters should only be ridden in bike lanes or the far-right of roadways, and reminded users they are not allowed on any roads where the speed limit exceeds 50 km/h.
