Disability advocate calling for stricter rules for parking shared e-scooters

Spring weather has more people using e-bikes and e-scooters, but disability advocates say improper parking is causing issues. Curtis Goodrum reports.

Now that spring has finally sprung, you may be noticing the return of shared e-scooters and bikes, some littering city sidewalks.

Disability advocate Zachary Weeks said it’s often difficult to navigate walkways in Edmonton’s core because people aren’t parking their shared mobility devices properly.

“Every spring we see these scooters now come out … Unfortunately, you come across them laying in the middle of the sidewalk,” said Weeks. “For people in wheelchairs, that could mean totally rerouting because you can’t get by the scooter.”

Edmonton city council is working on a motion that would require shared mobility service providers to include geofence parking areas for e-scooters and e-bikes.

“It’s actually an extremely simple thing to do, we just haven’t done it yet,” said Ward Dene Coun. Aaron Paquette.

A geofence is a digital boundary made using GPS to create a real-world geographic area.

“The easy solution is to just geofence where these things can actually stop and be and it’s an extremely straightforward and easy solution that we’ve seen in other cities that has worked really well,” said Paquette.

Weeks said the motion is a good first step in identifying what can be done to mitigate inaccessibility for people with mobility aids and the impact e-bikes and e-scooters can have.

“I’m cautiously optimistic that this could be a good thing, but ultimately, it falls on the general public to follow the rules and park them where they’re supposed to be parked,” said Weeks.

“I think it’s just being a little bit more mindful of who uses sidewalks and pathways and doing your due diligence.”

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Curtis Goodrum