{"id":1357,"date":"2014-01-22T21:44:00","date_gmt":"2014-01-22T21:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rf.podcastfixit.com\/index.php\/2014\/01\/22\/quebec-to-regulate-wheelchair-scooters\/"},"modified":"2015-06-01T19:41:22","modified_gmt":"2015-06-01T19:41:22","slug":"quebec-to-regulate-wheelchair-scooters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newscoverage.org\/index.php\/2014\/01\/22\/quebec-to-regulate-wheelchair-scooters\/","title":{"rendered":"Quebec to regulate wheelchair scooters"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mobility devices currently operate in legal void<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

\n
<\/b>
\nBy Robert Frank<\/b>
\nwww.thesuburban.com<\/a>
\n

\nWith personal mobility devices proliferating on the province\u2019s sidewalks and roads, Transport Quebec is proposing to introduce rules that will govern how they\u2019re used. 
\n

\nThe battery-powered vehicles have been a boon to the mobility impaired, permitting them to live much more independent lives. However, Quebec\u2019s aging population means that a growing number of users will be taking to the streets. 
\n

\nThe new, souped-up wheelchair scooters that manufacturers are showcasing this year also operate in a legal vacuum that could increasingly pose a safety hazard. Chevrolet started testing its carlike EN-V 2.0 in China, two years ago and, late last year, Toyota let automotive journalists road-test its new, three-wheeled iRoad, which can reach 45 km\/h and travel up to 50 km on a single battery charge,. 
\n

\n\u201cRight now in Quebec there are no rules,\u201d Transport Quebec official David Johnson told The Suburban<\/i> in an interview. \u201cUnlike bicycles, motorized mobility devices are not defined in the highway safety code. With more and more people needing these vehicles to get around, we are witnessing problems with them cohabiting with pedestrians on the sidewalk. They are often heavy and travel a lot faster than pedestrians, so dangers can arise.\u201d 
\n

\nLacking a law to enforce, highway patrollers frequently fret for people\u2019s safety. 
\n

\n\u201cPolice are concerned about those vehicles and the safety of the people who use them,\u201d Laval Police Lt. Daniel Gu\u00e9rin told The Suburban.<\/i> \u201cSometimes they must share a small street with a lot of big cars. We have seen some of Labelle Boulevard and even once on the Highway 40 service road near Ren\u00e9 Laennec. We will be following the new Quebec government initiative closely.\u201d 
\n

\n\u201cThe Ministry is working with its partners to create rules that will improve cohabitation and the ability for users to get around,\u201d explained Johnson, who is Transport Quebec\u2019s point person for public consultations on the provincial government\u2019s plans to regulate the vehicles. \u201cBasically, users can ride on the sidewalk wherever they are. It\u2019s very important that they respect pedestrians and not go too fast or drive in a way that could endanger them.\u201d 
\n

\n\u201cWe\u2019re also proposing giving them the right to use roadside and standalone bike paths,\u201d he added, \u201cas well as giving them the right to drive on roads whose speed limit is 50 km\/h or less, except on roads where there are two or more lanes in each direction.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOn roads where the speed limit is from 50-70 km\/h, they would have the right to travel on the sidewalk or shoulder,\u201d Johnson continued. 
\n

\n\u201cTravel in rural areas is a contentious issue,\u201d he acknowledged.
\n

\n\u201cWe have proposed that they can\u2019t travel on roads where the speed limit exceeds 70 km\/h and there\u2019s no sidewalk, because of the obvious safety concerns where other vehicles are rolling at 90 km\/h. Ultimately, our primary concern is safety.\u201d 
\n

\n\u201cThe public has until Feb. 14 to comment<\/a> on the proposed rules<\/a>,\u201d he said, \u201cwhich are published on the Transport Quebec web site<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\nA car or a wheelchair?<\/b><\/div>\n
\n
<\/b><\/div>\n
\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nFrom this…<\/b><\/div>\n
\n
<\/b><\/div>\n
\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\n…to this:<\/b><\/div>\n
\nNew technology which permits the Toyota iRoad to reach 45 km\/h promises to give the mobility impaired more freedom to nip nimbly around town. <\/b><\/div>\n
\n
<\/b><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/b><\/div>\n
\n<\/div>\n
\nVideo of the iRoad in the south of France, where <\/b>Toyota is testing the personal mobility vehicle.<\/b><\/div>\n
\n<\/a><\/div>\n
\nChevrolet EN-V 2.0.<\/b><\/p>\n
\n<\/div>\n

\nChevrolet tested EN-V 2.0 in China.<\/b><\/div>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
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\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mobility devices currently operate in legal void By Robert Frank www.thesuburban.com With personal mobility devices proliferating on the province\u2019s sidewalks and roads, Transport Quebec is proposing to introduce rules that will govern how they\u2019re used.  The battery-powered vehicles have been a boon to the mobility impaired, permitting them to live much more independent lives. 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