Transportation
Do Electric Scooters Belong in Bike Lanes?
Toronto is recommending yes, but safety concerns suggest no.
Astrid Idlewild points us to an intriguing debate in Toronto that doesn't involve Rob Ford. After about a year and a half of deliberation, the city's Transportation Services division has emerged with a definition of a "bicycle."
The civic authority's original intent was to clarify which travelers belong in the bike lane, and which don't. Evidently that's not such an easy task. Obviously human-powered bicycles belong in the lanes, but Transportation Services has recommended that small electric-powered vehicles have a place there, too [PDF]. These include so-called "pedelecs" — otherwise known as electric bicycles — as well as e-scooters.