Leeway from Lloyd: Laws lag e-scooter reality

requires a provincial exemption to operate them on public sidewalks and roads.

When Lloydminster Mayor Gerald Aalbers and members of council attend the upcoming Alberta Municipalities Convention in Edmonton later this month, they will have some interesting resolutions to adopt and advocate to the provincial government.

One of the more topical resolutions presented by the City of Calgary calls for the government to amend the Traffic Safety Act to accommodate the use of e-scooters Alberta-wide for rental and personal use.

Incredibly, under current regulations, e-scooters are only allowed on private property!

A private citizen

WEAVER FROM PAGE 10

So here I am, creeping towards the sidewalk, yelling at this driver to stop as I couldn’t find my horn ... boy, I’m sure I looked silly!

Once again, lucky for us, I caught the attend -

Similarly, cities like Calgary and Edmonton have had to obtain special Alberta Transportation ministerial permission to allow for rental e-scooters under a pilot project.

Municipalities rightly argue personal e-scooters are a growing regulatory gap that the government needs to address.

It’s also shocking to realize in Alberta, a municipality cannot create bylaws to regulate the use of e-scooters even though they are now readily for sale by retailers.

Travelling on e-scooters is an entrenched lifestyle such as e-bikes and e-unicycles and is way ahead of the law.

The regulatory oversight sticks out like a tion of the driver at the last second to avoid an incident. sore thumb, but Mayor Aalbers told the Meridian Source he can name several provincial laws in Saskatchewan and Alberta that haven’t been updated in a long time.

The look on this driver’s face said it all. “I screwed up, I’m at fault, I’m super embarrassed.” OK, maybe that’s what I hoped she was thinking.

He noted working through these resolutions can help municipalities like Lloydminster effect change at the provincial and federal levels.

Thankfully, he went on to say he thinks the government of Alberta will move very quickly to deal with e-scooters, so it clarifies that people are not breaking the law or that bylaws are in place to deal with that accordingly.

The resolution notes if the government also allows personal e-scooters on roads, they should be treated the same as bikes on roads using bike lanes and pathways.

I’m pretty sure they teach the “left, centre, right” concept on dayone of driver’s ed ... and it’s an clearly an important one to remember. Please, Lloyd drivers, do better; you CAN do it!

It also states without a legal framework, personal choice and freedom of mobility to meet needs and lifestyles are limited. Let’s hope the resolution with motivate the government to plug into the current state of the electric scooter trend.

MERIDIAN SOURCE Thursday, September 14, 2023

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BINGO IS BACK!

Bingo at the Moose Lodge, located at 5213 57 Street, is back every Monday and Wednesday starting Sept. 6! Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and play starts at 7 p.m. Must be 18 to play!

Playschool

Pre-registration

Southridge Playschool & Kindergym has opened up their registration for the fall 20232024 classes. They offer one-day a week for three-year-olds and one or two days a week