2024 Edmonton debut of e-scooters waiting on city review
At this time last year, e-scooters had been patrolling Edmonton streets for almost a month.
This year, they have yet to make their debut — and likely won't until the end of this month.
Jenny Albers, Edmonton's general supervisor of planning and permitting, told media on Thursday the city and prospective vendors are "in the final stages of a request for proposal" and hopes to soon announce which companies will supply shared e-scooters and e-bikes, with the "micromobility" vehicles "hopefully on streets by the end of May."
Last year, Bird Canada and Lime operated e-scooters and e-bikes in Edmonton in the final year of a two-year permit program, with Bird deploying 750 e-scooters and 250 e-bikes on city pathways, Lime about 1,500 such vehicles.
According to a city operations report presented Thursday to city council's urban planning committee, administration is updating the city's e-scooter program "based on the results of a program review, jurisdictional scan and public engagement," adding it will "provide more consistent service across the city and improve supplier compliance."
The report also said e-scooter trips increased 124 per cent from 2022, e-bike trips went up six per cent, and total trip kilometres increased by 98 per cent.
It says new program features will include parking locations, no-parking zones, slow zones and no-ride zones.
Albers said the city will continue to expand parking corrals and add no-parking zones in places it doesn't want them parked.
Committee member Karen Teng, the councillor for Ward Karhiio, said some of the changes to the e-scooter program the city wants to see includes "elevating" expectations for safety and accessibility.
"We have invested heavily in active transportation to meet our goals for shifting our modes of transportation to achieve our livability, our climate goals, etc.," Teng told media.
"This is about creating more alternative modes of transportation on the road. It's creating more options for people to get around our city. The report has some impressive numbers on the growth of usage.
"It means Edmontonians are very open to it. They're using it. People are excited about it. We're hearing lots of commentary about why (e-scooters are) not on the road already, so there's an eagerness."
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Jeremy Thompson
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Board orders deportation for trucker in horrific Humboldt Broncos crash
The truck driver who caused the horrific bus crash involving the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team has been ordered to be deported.
Community mourns victims of fatal boat crash near Kingston, Ont.
The three people killed in last weekend's tragic collision between a speedboat and a fishing boat north of Kingston are being remembered Friday.
Group tied to Islamic State plotted fatal Ontario restaurant shooting: Crown
A gunman who is accused of killing a young Ontario man and shooting four of his family members at their small Mississauga restaurant in 2021 was allegedly part of a trio who had pledged allegiance to the listed terrorist group Islamic State, a Crown attorney said in an opening statement in the Brampton murder trial this week.
'A really bad car crash': Why health experts are raising concerns over surging syphilis cases
A sexually transmitted infection (STI) that was once thought to be a thing of the past is now a public health priority for North American doctors.
Purolator truck drivers from Guelph, Ont. save man walking in Hwy. 407 lanes
A pair of Purolator transport truck drivers from Guelph, Ont. are being hailed as heroes for their efforts in helping a person in crisis.
Trudeau responds to American senators calling on Canada to increase defence spending
Stopping short of offering the assurance U.S. senators are seeking, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government is aware there's more work to do in order to see Canada meet NATO's defence spending target.
A woman took her dog to a shelter to be euthanized. A year later, the dog is up for adoption again
Exhausted and short on options after consulting two veterinary clinics, Kristie Pereira made the gut-wrenching decision last year to take her desperately ill puppy to a Maryland shelter to be euthanized.
Italian teenage computer wizard set to become the first saint of the millennial generation
Pope Francis paved the way for the canonization of the first saint of the millennial generation on Thursday, attributing a second miracle to a 15-year-old Italian computer whiz who died of leukemia in 2006.
Top Russian military officials are being arrested. Why is it happening?
It began last month with the arrest of a Russian deputy defense minister. Then the head of the ministry’s personnel directorate was hauled into court. This week, two more senior military officials were detained. All face charges of corruption, which they have denied.