In just a matter of weeks, Nova Scotia is going to implement a minimum age requirement to ride an e-scooter or bike.
According to Public Works Minister Fred Tilley that age is 14; and the reason is because of how fast they can go.
“They can go up to 30, 32km an hour and more,” said Tilley to reporters. “You start to get a different level of conveyance than a traditional bicycle or cycle.”
However, children up to the age of 14 can still ride an e-scooter or bike on the sidewalk.
Other new rules under the Traffic Safety Act coming into effect will be stiffer fines for ‘dooring’ anyone who is a ‘vulnerable’ road user.
“[That] includes a pedestrian, cyclist, workers on the road, those types of things,” explained Tilley.
Last month a 71-year-old Dalhousie professor died after he was hit by the door of a pickup truck while cycling.
Tilley said he is concerned with the number of fatalities lately, but safety is a top priority.
He said there will not be new licensing requirements for those who drive a pickup truck or SUV.
