Motorcycles, scooters and other mopeds that do not meet federal safety standards are now banned in Quebec, the province’s auto insurance board announced Tuesday.
These increasingly popular, often electrically powered vehicles can seen zipping down bike paths, roads and sidewalks, but they are non-compliant with Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS).
“These vehicles pose a safety risk to vulnerable users of sidewalks and bike paths due to their high weight and the speeds they can reach,” the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) says in a news release.
Also, the SAAQ adds, it’s a matter of fairness to the owners of compliant motorcycles and mopeds who must register their vehicles and hold the correct class of driver’s licence to drive them on the road network.
As of Tuesday, access to public roads is prohibited for two- or three-wheeled motorized vehicles that, with or without pedals, resemble a motorcycle or moped, do not bear the national safety mark and have at least one of the following characteristics:
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They are equipped with footrests or a platform for the driver’s feet.
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They are equipped with a set of tires and wheels that resemble those of a motorcycle or moped.
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They are equipped with a body that partially or completely covers their frame or some of their components and are not equipped with an adjustable-height saddle.
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They are equipped with an engine that allows them to reach a speed of more than 32 km/h or has a nominal power greater than 500 watts.
The SAAQ has already prohibited the sale and importation of these vehicles in Quebec due to their lack of certification.
Penalties for violating the new regulation range from $300 to $600.
Exceptions to the ban include:
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Motorcycles and mopeds manufactured before Jan. 1, 1971.
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Vehicles certified as safe under the safety standards of the United States or Mexico.
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Vehicles manufactured 15 years or more ago that bear a certification mark from any country.
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Handcrafted motorcycles with verification certificates from the SAAQ.
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Off-road vehicles as defined by the province’s off-road vehicles act.
Cycling advocates have been urging the government to act on this issue for several years to ensure better coexistence on public roads.
Magali Bebronne, spokesperson for the Montreal-based bicycle advocacy group Vélo Québec, told CBC Montreal’s Let’s Go that her organization has been asking for action for some time.
Manufacturers of these electric vehicles have been adding things like fake pedals and redesigning them so they pass as e-bikes so they can be driven on bike paths, but that was making traditional bike path users uncomfortable, she said.
“Everybody could see they were actually mopeds,” she said, citing safety concerns due to the weight and speed. “We know what a moped is.”
She said it’s not clear how many of these vehicles are involved in collisions because the SAAQ only keeps statistics on licensed vehicles. That means collisions involving e-bikes or e-scooters are not covered by public car insurance, she said.
She said it’s the number-one concern for people on bike paths right now. She said the new regulations are a good step in the right direction, but Vélo Québec was hoping for revisions to rules regarding electric bikes as well.
Her organization wants to see a more comprehensive redefinition of what e-bikes and e-scooters are.
While e-scooters can be ridden by any rider aged 14 and up, e-bike users must be 18. Those under 18 can ride them only if they have a moped licence. She said e-bikes should be more accessible to younger riders.
Vélo Québec has also advocated for reducing the maximum speed of e-bikes, currently capped at 32 km/h, to 25 km/h.
Rachid Farissi, who owns ZoomRide, an electric mobility store in Montreal, said he is losing thousands of dollars because of the new rules. His store is fully stocked with products that are now illegal to use on public roads in the province.
The products were once treated as e-bikes, with pedals poking out of the sides of the electric mopeds. Farissi said they became popular among people who work for food delivery services, such as UberEats.
“The impact is big on people who work with this. Most of them are international students or new immigrants,” he said. “Or they are someone who wants to be more independent, choosing when they work.”
Farissi is trying to figure out what to do with his stock of electric mopeds, worth about $160,000. He said he hopes he can sell them in other jurisdictions now that sales are banned in the province.