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Regardless of the failure of the U-Bicycle program, prime executives of the 2 largest electrical scooter corporations have each stated Victoria can be a perfect place to implement a program.
Lime and Fowl, two of the highest competing e-scooter corporations in Canada, agree town can be a perfect place to launch an e-scooter (just like a push scooter, however with a motor) rental program.
In B.C., communities can submit proposals to the provincial authorities to conduct a pilot venture for using e-scooters or different micromobility units not at present approved for use on streets and sidewalks. Whereas the deadline has handed for communities to submit proposals, they’ll nonetheless be thought of for a potential future part.
“From our viewpoint, Victoria is sort of a no brainer,” stated Jonathan Hopkins, director of strategic developments for Lime.
In keeping with Hopkins, Lime has engaged with town on having the e-scooters as Victoria has signed as much as be a participant within the pilot venture however just isn’t at present “on the slate to function this yr.”
Stewart Lyons, CEO of Fowl Canada, stated his firm spoke with metropolis representatives “very often within the final yr” and “would like to be in Victoria” however is ready for town to make the subsequent transfer.
When figuring out cities by which to launch e-scooter packages, each corporations take a look at such elements as city density, tourism and infrastructure.
Fowl launched in Calgary slightly over a yr in the past, and have had greater than one million leases, with a median journey of 20 minutes, in that point Lyons stated. “That proves, from our perspective, that it’s actually a commuting software. It’s not only a toy or a tourism software.”
For Corey Burger, president of the Higher Victoria Biking Coalition, the prospect of getting e-scooters within the metropolis is an ‘fascinating double-edged sword.”
The positives, he stated, are that scooters appeal to a brand new group of individuals to utilizing energetic transportation, however the issues about sidewalk litter are vital to have in mind. In 2019, incapacity advocates took town of San Diego and working scooter corporations to courtroom for blocking rights-of-way.
Hopkins stated the very best place for e-scooters – which may journey as much as 20 km/h – is a motorcycle lane.
“We don’t put pedestrians in the midst of a freeway as a result of pedestrians and vehicles go completely different speeds, and we attempt to not put scooters on sidewalks,” he stated.
Skate boarders have been utilizing bike lanes in Victoria for just a few years now, and Burger stated there have been no issues with that, including that scooters are “only one extra small micromobility system that may use that area.”
“And if there aren’t sufficient bike lanes, effectively let’s go and add some extra – that’s not an enormous deal,” he stated.
Victoria Mayor Lisa Helps didn’t reply to requests for remark.
City of VictoriaTransportation
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