While allowing rental e-scooters on Bernard Avenue during the Meet Me on Bernard program has been raised as a concern, council has voted to permit them anyway.
The request came from the Downtown Âé¶čAV Association (DKA) with city staff recommending a 15 km/h speed limit.
Coun. Maxine DeHart noted that the downtown is extremely busy from May to September.
âI think the DKA will do themselves a disservice because people do want to go downtown,â she said during Mondayâs (Feb. 26) council meeting. âThey take their kids, they take their dogs and now theyâre going to be shuffling through scooters.â
Council was reviewing the terms of a new contract providing parameters for an e-scooter and e-bike operator.
READ MORE: E-scooters may glide down Âé¶čAVâs Meet Me on Bernard
E-scooters will not be allowed to be ridden on sidewalks, as is the case anywhere else they are permitted to operate in the city.
âIn my mind, to get people to walk safely on Bernard Avenue, we should not have to fight with electric bikes and electric scooters,â added Coun. Luke Stack.
Coun. Ron Cannan pointed out that bicycles and e-bikes are allowed during Meet Me on Bernard.
âBut weâre saying you canât have a scooter. So you have to ban everything or else none.â
Stack put forward an amendment that e-scooters not be allowed during Meet Me on Bernard, however, that was defeated.
Council, as suggested by Coun. Rick Webber, asked staff to consider a section in the contract that e-scooters could be pulled from Meet Me on Bernard if they proved to be a nuisance.
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