This month, the city of Windsor voted that, except in a few circumstances, E-bikes should stick to the road.
The rising price of gasoline has created a strong demand for E-bikes in Windsor, as they are transport option that requires no insurance and no gasoline. With the price of an E-bike in the range of $700 to $2,000, sales are going through the roof.
The Detroit/Windsor area has traditionally been a center for automobiles, containing headquarters and major manufacturing operations for the ‘Big Three’ – Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. The development of the city during the 20th century relied on the sale of the automobile, until downsizing and corporate shuffling closed plants and offices over the last two decades. Now, the city is leading the way on the next generation of transport – the E-bike.
Popular with young people who often cannot afford car insurance or a new vehicle, scooters are the more popular models and can travel up to speeds of 32 km/h. Running on electricity, they only need a couple of hours to charge and are virtually noise free.
The Minestry of Transportation Ontario (MTO) offers an extensive Q & A about E-bikes on its website, covering a full range of topics about licensing, rules of the road, benefits, safety, and operating an E-bike. The online information could easily be assembled into flyer printing, poster printing, or brochure printing format if they wanted to make it more readily available to the general public. The online chart that lists the 13 offenses and fines specific to E-bikes would be of particular interest, including the section of the Highway Traffic Act, the court fees, and total expenses.
