As the start of the school year approaches, Nanaimo RCMP are offering a few reminders for parents thinking of purchasing electric kick scooters for their children to commute to classes. Micromobility devices including electric and conventional kick scooters have become increasingly popular as a convenient way to get around. A year ago, the City of Nanaimo amended bylaws to regulate electric kick scooter use and apply fines for breaking the rules of riding the devices. According to a Nanaimo RCMP advisory, issued Wednesday, Aug. 27, there are key factors and regulations to that come into play when it comes to using electric kick scooters versus their conventional human-powered counterparts. Both types of scooters share some common features and regulations they must abide by within the City of Nanaimo. Scooters of all types can only be operated on roads with posted speed limits of 50 kilometres per hour or less, and are restricted to designated bicycle lanes and multi-use paved pathways. Riders must also dismount and walk across designated crosswalks, and wear a helmet. When it comes to electric kick scooters in Nanaimo, which is a participating community in the provincial electric electric kick scooter pilot project, additional rules apply to their operation. e-kick scooter riders must be 16 years old or older, scooters must travel in the direction of traffic and cannot be operated on sidewalks, must be ridden faster than 25km/h or be powered by batteries or modified to produce speeds faster than 25km/h. Riders cannot wear headphones, must use hand signals when turning and must also have safety lights if riding after sunset or before sunrise. Riders can be fined or arrested for breaching any of the regulations listed above and have their their kick scooter or electric kick scooter impounded, the advisory noted.
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