JUST because your child might enjoy the idea of an e-scooter, that does not mean they are legal or safe, and a North Vancouver man is on the hook after allowing his son to ride while under the age of 16, the BC Highway Patrol said on Wednesday.
On August 4, at 7:15 p.m., a BC Highway Patrol officer spotted a small e-scooter rider in heavy traffic on Marine Drive at Pemberton Avenue in North Vancouver. The rider was wearing shorts, a T-shirt, an oversized helmet and large shoes. Suspecting that the e-scooter operator was underage, the officer stopped the rider and learned that he was 12 years old.
“Children under 16 are not allowed to operate e-scooters on public roads, bike lanes, or bike paths,” says Sgt. Michael McLaughlin with BC Highway Patrol. “We spoke to the boy’s father, explained the law, and issued a ticket.”
The father of the e-scooter rider received a ticket for “allow a person under 16 years to operate an electric kick scooter,” section 7(2) of the Electronic Kick Scooter Pilot Project Regulation, ($109).
“Police are getting an increasing number of complaints about unsafe and illegal e-mobility users,” says McLaughlin. “Our main goal is to prevent death and injury, and it looks like we’re going to have to issue more tickets before people get the message.”
