Two Windsor-Essex municipalities want more safety measures and awareness around e-bikes and e-scooters. Windsor and Amherstburg have joined the list of municipalities concerned about the added risks these devices have created for riders, pedestrians, and motor vehicle drivers. At a city council meeting on Monday, Angelo Marignani, the city’s ward 7 representative, asked staff to bring policies up to date with the new technology. “These bikes aren’t just doing what they were meant to do, like 25 km an hour. Some of these e-bikes are now going up to 40 and 50 km an hour on bikes and scooters,” Marignani told CTV News. Over the summer, Marignani said he received several complaints about improper use of the devices. Incidents have involved pedestrians being hit and young users suffering serious injuries after falling, he said. He wants staff to look into licensing for owners of e-scooters and help provide a clear picture of their roles and responsibilities. “We’re going to have scooters and electronic vehicles all for the rest of our life now, because that technology has advanced so quickly. The policy behind it hasn’t,” Marignani said. Statistics provided to CTV News by the Windsor Police Service in August indicated police had responded to six collisions involving e-bikes in 2026, and five of those resulted in injuries. In the staff report, Marignani hopes to see talks with suppliers to ensure riders have bells, lights, and training before they hit the road. Similar talks happened in Amherstburg Town Council Chambers on Monday night after motions brought forward by Coun. Molly Allaire. In addition to safety concerns, Allaire said they’ve seen e-bikes used to vandalize local parks. “So they’re doing burnouts on the equipment, like slides and stuff. That sounds fun maybe to them, but they’re actually doing damage that costs like $25,000 to replace that slide,” she explained. Council agreed to ask Windsor police to specifically monitor Kings Navy Yard Park and Pat Thrasher Park for e-bikes, particularly on weekends and late in the evening. Allaire said there are cases of young kids riding e-bikes without helmets while travelling at high speeds. In Ontario, riders of e-scooters and e-bikes must be 16 or older. Riders must always follow the rules of the road and, in some cases, are required to wear a helmet. “What people are saying is let kids be kids, but I don’t think kids were given the information of how deadly and dangerous this actually is, or how much money it is actually costing the municipality,” Allaire said. She also brought forward a motion asking Windsor police to use social media to spread more awareness about Ontario’s e-bike rules. The police service issued a reminder on Tuesday morning with added information including: Questions were raised at Amherstburg’s meeting about whether the issues fall under the responsibility of the municipality or the province. Allaire said Tuesday she felt the need to step up and hopefully create some traction towards change. “Unfortunately, I’ve lost a lot of faith, and I feel that if we just sit by and do nothing, no one else is going to step up,” she said. Concerns over e-bikes and e-scooters have already prompted reviews elsewhere in Windsor-Essex. In August, LaSalle Town Council voted to assess the measures available to prevent reckless riding after concerns were raised on trails and sidewalks.
