City eyes active transportation speed limit

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This article was published 27/10/2023 (694 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The City of Winnipeg will study the idea of imposing speed limits for electronic bikes and scooters.

On Thursday evening, Winnipeg city council approved a call to have city staff study the potential new restriction, which could affect all motorized devices used on active transportation pathways. Traditional bicycles will be excluded.

Coun. Janice Lukes said it’s great to see a hike in the number of people relying on active transportation. However, she said concerns about unsafe speeds of travel are triggering complaints and raising a need to consider new rules.

“We’ve got people calling (about) getting hit (while) standing in the (path) and a dog’s leash got caught up in an e-bike… There are scenarios that are unfolding that are requiring us to look to see what other cities are doing that have addressed this issue,” the public works chairwoman said during the meeting.

She noted Calgary has already imposed such a speed limit. The Alberta city requires all pathway users, including those riding manual bikes, to travel at or below posted speed limits. The maximum speed is typically set at 20 km/h, the City of Calgary’s website notes.

The decision comes amid criticism an active transportation speed limit could prove difficult to enforce.

Prior to ordering the report, the majority of Winnipeg council members opted to remove traditional bicycles from the potential speed limit.

Coun. Matt Allard, who moved that amendment, told council members he feared including manual transportation could prove complicated.

“I do believe that some of these (electronic) devices, particularly those that have been modified from the original manufacturer’s specifications, may achieve speeds that are significant. I would hope that we would not move in the direction of establishing maximum speeds for (traditional) bicycles because that would… likely mean installation of speedometers on bicycles and all sorts of issues with enforcement,” said Allard.

Coun. Ross Eadie, who said he was once struck by a manual bicycle many years ago, voted against removing traditional bikes from the potential speed limit, suggesting all active transportation options should be limited to a maximum speed of 30 km/h.

“If somebody gets hit by a bike moving really fast, believe me, it hurts… The older you get, the worse the injuries are,” said Eadie.

Manitoba’s Highway Traffic Act already sets a restriction of 32 km/h for “power-assisted” bicycles with motors of up to 500 watts.

Coun. Shawn Dobson, who raised the speed limit motion, argues an even lower cap is needed.

“Thirty-two (km/h) on an active transportation path is way too fast. Probably anywhere from 10 (km/h) to 20 (km/h) would be reasonable,” Dobson said in an interview Friday.

Dobson said he supported the call to remove traditional bikes from the speed limit to avoid holding up the report, but believes the option could be revisited in the future.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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