Halton Police Board Backs New E-Scooter Education Plan

E-scooters are legal in Burlington on exactly one stretch of pavement, the Centennial Trail, and the Halton Police Board now wants one consistent message about the rules across the whole region. The board voted on Thursday, September 24 to have police build a prevention and awareness strategy covering e-scooters and other powered personal transportation devices.

Board chair Jeff Knoll put it as police work that happens before an incident rather than after. "Police are not only there to respond after an incident occurs," he said. "Effective policing includes prevention, education, visibility, and enforcement. Clear communication from police can help families understand the law and prevent unsafe behaviour."

The messaging would push the facts that get missed. Nobody under 16 is allowed to operate an e-scooter, and the vehicles are banned from public use altogether in Oakville, Milton and Halton Hills. Burlington allows them only on the Centennial Trail under a provincial pilot, and riders must be 16 or older and wearing a helmet. E-bikes can be ridden on Burlington roads and streets by anyone 16 and up with a helmet, and are not permitted on sidewalks, trails or in parks.

Burlington councillor Lisa Kearns questioned whether the pilot was the right call in the first place. "Is it time to say the pilot got it wrong?" she said. "That we need to just start again from zero and put the appropriate enforcement in place, and then explore what a pilot could look like once some other entities have responded." She said the patchwork of separate municipal pilots makes the work harder for every town in Halton.

Police Chief Stephen Tanner said enforcement comes down to resources, and that the weather may handle part of it on its own. He said he is already seeing fewer e-scooters on cold mornings and expects the problem to fade until spring once the snow starts. The strategy comes back to the board for further discussion in November.