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Orangeville looks at viability of e-scooters’ use in town

November 13, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS, LOCAL JOURNALISM INITIATIVE REPORTER

Orangeville enacted its new Right-of-Way Management Bylaw and received a request to make e-scooters available to residents.

Local resident Matthew Smith suggested that Orangeville council make e-scooters available to residents who don’t have access to a vehicle of their own. There’s even a section in the town’s Right-of-Way Management Bylaw that deals with e-scooters.

Smith said the town should get in on a provincial pilot program that will run until November 2029.

The pilot program enables municipalities to choose where and how e-scooters may be used. Under the program, the conveyance must have a 24 km/hr maximum speed and a maximum weight of 45 kg. There must be at least one front white light and a rear red light.

They can’t be kitted out with pedals, a seat, or a basket.

Regulations under the umbrella of the Highway Traffic Act also apply to e-scooters.

“I feel there’s many benefits to the town and to its residents that could be had,” Smith said.

E-scooters would supplement the municipal transit system, he said.

“Not all areas of our town are serviced by transit,” he said. “The northwest portion, as we know, is not serviced by transit. Also, the transit doesn’t operate on Sundays.”

Smith suggested e-scooter use could become very popular in Orangeville.

“Especially when the rail trail gets developed in town and it will be a great way to get through the middle of town for many residents,” he said.

The town’s very own transportation master plan recommends cutting down on traffic by curbing single-vehicle use.

“Vehicle usage is planned to increase in town as (the) population increases,” he said. “We can provide an option to avoid that. I think we should consider it.”

Councillor Joe Andrews said an e-scooter is a viable option for people to get around in the community.

About a dozen Ontario communities are taking part in the provincial e-scooter program, he said. And they’ve faced some “push-back and also some reality checks,” Andrews said.

“Yes, we can consider this, but we also have to understand how are we going to enforce this properly?” he added.

Should council request staff to either research or opt-in to the program, a further staff report will be provided to detail any required bylaw amendments.

Andrews said the town has to take a deeper look at the educational aspect of e-scooters and their safe usage.

“Education is paramount to those that are going to be using those,” he said. “Not only those who are selling these vehicles, these scooters, but also the parents that are letting their 12-year-olds ride them without helmets.”

“With a proper safety program … I think they’re a great device to use and necessary for some people,” Coun. Andy Mcintosh said.

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