Protection of Highways By-law 24-2010 was not modified by the Council resolution; this by-law prohibits storing of property in the right-of-way unless permitted by by-law or agreement, and thereby provides the City with an enforcement mechanism for unauthorized scooter share services, if needed.

Discussion:

In the past e-scooters have not been permitted in parks. Administration is seeking clarification on the ‘Central Riverfront Trail’ as noted in the recommendation because there are other waterfront parks that also have a riverfront multi-use trail such as Reaume Park and Alexander Park. In responding to Council’s directive and the implementation of their permitted use as pilot project along the Riverfront Trail, appropriate signage and trail markings should be implemented to bring awareness to the general public regarding shared used of the trail. The Central Riverfront Trial as outlined in the C.R.I.P spans from Hiram Walkers on the east to the Ambassador Bridge to the west and is one of the most popular and widely used park trails in the entire city. Providing appropriate signage and pavement markings along the trail will help bring awareness to park users of the new shared use with e-scooters and will help mitigate issues that may arise in the form of potential collisions. Administration is also recommending an increase in auxiliary police during peak season along the Central Riverfront Trail for the duration of the e-scooter pilot project to help mitigate any safety concerns regarding improper use of scooters or speeding through areas that are highly populated.

In addition, CR83/2020 includes an amendment to Traffic By-Law 9148 allowing e-scooters to operate legally within the right-of-way, subject to certain conditions. This could potentially pose problems for Parks as there are many areas within the City where Parks and the public right-of-way weave in and out seamlessly unbeknownst to the public. Currently there are no signs or trail markings in Parks calling attention to where the park stops and the right-of-way begins. These areas have the potential to cause issues for park users and e-scooters whereby the general park user might not be aware of e-scooters driving by while enjoying other active recreational uses and thus there is the potential for collisions to occur. Parks will monitor the situation for the duration of the pilot and will provide transportation planning with information on any issues that may arise during the pilot window so they can report to council. There will be no signage, markings or increased auxiliary presence in these areas.

Other operational cost may include maintenance and replacement of installed signage and markings, installing and maintaining designated scooter parking areas, increased turf restoration, increased presence of auxiliary police, damage to mowers if they run over scooters left in grass, staff time to collect and impound scooters left in non permitted use zones. These costs will be monitored and reported back at the end of the pilot.

Risk Analysis:

Risk Analysis:

There is a moderate risk of collision between general park users and e-scooter users in the permitted use zone of the Central Riverfront Trail as indicated above as well as in areas where parks and the public right-of-way cross over. In order to help mitigate this