Dryden’s OPP Detachment Board is urging city council to adopt a municipal bylaw regulating e-scooters as concerns grow over serious injuries involving the devices across Ontario.
Under Ontario’s e-scooter pilot program, launched in 2020, scooters are limited to speeds of 24 km/h. However, many e-scooters available on the market are capable of travelling much faster, creating challenges for enforcement.
At Monday’s board meeting, Detachment Commander Karl Duewel said local regulations would provide officers with clearer direction.
“Having a bylaw will provide some clarity to officers, because right now we technically have to pull over everybody that we see on them,” he said. “There are a few who are using them to get to work and can’t afford a car. We need them working.”
Mayor Jack Harrison agreed the current system leaves municipalities in a difficult position, noting that high-speed e-scooters are technically prohibited but rarely enforced.
“It’s an interesting issue, because it’s basically left up to the municipalities to set up regulations otherwise [high-speed scooters] are banned entirely, although I understand that’s not really enforced in our community,” he said. “I think we have to put a standard in place. There should be good regulations that say where they should be and where they shouldn’t be and what riders have to wear.”
The Canadian Institute for Health Information reported a 22% increase in severe e-scooter injuries in a 2024 study. The study also found a 61% increase in hospitalizations among children and youth aged five to 17, despite e-scooter use being prohibited for riders under 16 in many jurisdictions, including Ontario.
“They’re riding fast, and the nature of an e-scooter is when you ditch it, you go straight over the handlebars. Serious injuries are occurring across Canada,” Harrison said.
The board unanimously approved a motion, moved by Councillor Michelle Price and seconded by Councillor Bryan Tardiff, recommending that Dryden City Council adopt a municipal e-scooter bylaw.
