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Hefty electric bike fine threatened
Q: I recently got an $1,100 electric bicycle called the Mayhem.
While riding my "e-bike" – with the motor engaged – along the Taylor Creek bike path, two Toronto police officers on bicycles stopped me.
They said I wasn't allowed to drive it in the park or on streets.
I told the officers that a provincial pilot program allows electric bicycles wherever a pedal bike is permitted.
They weren't convinced.
They informed me that I could get a $5,000 fine for having no insurance and that the Mayhem had to be registered.
But, in the end, they let me go with a warning. What exactly is the legal situation for e-bikes?
Amber Austin, Toronto
A: The "motor-assisted bicycle" legislation in the provincial Highway Traffic Act would normally cover such a vehicle. The user would require a helmet, licence plate, driver's licence and insurance for operation on public roads.
However, a three-year pilot program by the Ontario government is indeed in effect – from October 2006 to October 2009. It permits "e-bikes" wherever regular bicycles are allowed throughout the province.
Data gathered will be assessed and a final decision on legislation made.
An e-bike is defined as a bicycle with an added battery-powered electric motor not exceeding 500 watts and allowing the cyclist to do up to 32 km/h.
It can also be pedalled without any power assist and carries a manufacturer's e-bike label.
Operators must be 16 or older and wear an approved bicycle helmet. Insurance, a driver's licence, and number plates are not required.
Normal bicycle equipment, including lights when night riding and a bell or horn, is required.
Conventional and electric bicycles are prohibited on sidewalks and high-speed expressways. But all other "rules of the road" apply, and bikes and e-bikes must be walked across crosswalks.
You might want to print out a copy of the Transportation Ministry web page on the topic and carry it with you when riding in case you're stopped.
Go to www.mto.gov.on.ca and click on Vehicle Licensing in blue on the left side of page, then on New and Alternative Vehicles.
The e-bike program does not include mopeds, which have 50 cc gasoline engines and can travel faster than 32 km/h. Nor does it cover "pocket bikes" – miniature gas motorcycles that are not permitted on public roadways.
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