Riding that e-scooter without a helmet or with a friend? Vancouver police are cracking down

Vancouver police officers talk to e-scooter riders who are not wearing helmets about proper use of the two-wheeled scooters along the seawall on Friday. Photo by Jason Payne /PNG

Article content

For Vancouver’s Jason Bailey, an e-scooter is a cheap, convenient way to get around the city.

Article content

“I don’t even own a vehicle anymore,” he said.

Article content

Article content

But Bailey has recently grown concerned after seeing a lot of young riders doubling up and engaging in other risky behaviour on the electric devices.

Article content

The 54-year-old was walking his e-scooter near the Olympic Village seawall on Friday as Vancouver police stopped riders during a month-long safety blitz that has resulted in more than 1,275 warnings and tickets.

Article content

Article content

Helmet violations made up the bulk of the enforcement, with 753 warnings and 167 tickets issued to riders without protective headgear, according to the police department.

Article content

Article content

Bailey said he normally wears a helmet, but his scooter and helmet were recently stolen, leaving him without one on Friday.

Article content

Officers nearby were focused on teaching riders about the provincial rules, rather than tickets.

Article content

“We’re not ticketing today. We just want to make sure everyone is safe,” one officer told a young rider after motioning them to stop mid-commute.

Article content

Around 450 officers from the Vancouver police operations division have been targeting schools, bike paths, crosswalks and intersections across Vancouver, including downtown and routes along the city’s beaches.

Article content

By 11:30 a.m. on Friday, officers had stopped more than a dozen e-scooter riders at the intersection of Switchmen and Pullman Porter streets. Several were seen without helmets. One Lime rider had a helmet attached to his scooter, but wasn’t wearing it. After an officer stopped him, he unlocked it, put it on and fastened the strap under his chin.

Article content

Article content

Article content

Insp. Stephanie Willoughby, who leads the Vancouver police department’s e-scooter safety initiative, said the campaign was launched in the wake of the city’s first death involving an e-scooter.

Article content

“Over the summer, we saw at least one person seriously injured, and sadly one fatality,” Willoughby said.

Article content

The fatal crash happened July 3, when a 30-year-old woman riding an e-scooter collided with a vehicle near Venables Street and Commercial Drive, according to police.

Article content

Article content

Doctors reported that most of the injured riders were between 13 and 15 years old, below the province’s minimum riding age of 16, and most were also speeding.

Article content

Under provincial rules, e-scooter riders must wear a helmet, ride alone and walk their scooter on sidewalks and through crosswalks. Vancouver police are cracking down on those who don’t obey the rules. Photo by Jason Payne /PNG

Article content

Under provincial rules, e-scooter riders must wear a helmet, ride alone and walk their scooter on sidewalks and through crosswalks. The maximum speed is 25 km/h, and riders must use bike lanes where available or ride as far right as practicable on the road. The devices are not allowed on roads where speed limits exceed 50 km/h.