Abstract Manager

The rapid emergence and evolution of micromobility devices over the past decade has outpaced the development of regulatory and safety frameworks in Canada. Their growing use in Canadian cities highlights both their benefits as sustainable, low-cost transportation alternatives and the risks stemming from inconsistent regulations, safety concerns, and limited data collection. Federal oversight through the Motor Vehicle Safety Act is limited, with most devices falling outside prescribed vehicle classes unless they exceed certain speed threshold. This regulatory gap leaves provinces and municipalities to define their own rules, resulting in inconsistent classifications, enforcement challenges, and uncertainty for manufacturers, users, and law enforcement. Safety remains a key concern, however data on incidents involving micromobility devices is sparse and inconsistent as most reporting systems exclude non-motor vehicle collisions or misclassify micromobility devices. Internationally, approaches vary widely, with some jurisdictions adopting broad classification frameworks while others regulate micromobility through narrow, technical specifications.

This paper discusses the current regulatory practices and gaps in Canada, and key issues regarding the use of micromobility devices in terms of safety; legislation, regulation, and policy; data collection; and enforcement in Canada and internationally. International best practices are provided on effective regulatory frameworks and classification schemes, the safe integration of micromobility devices into the existing transportation system, and strategies to ensure compliance with the regulations and vehicle safety standards. The findings are based on an extensive literature review, a Canadian jurisdictional survey, focus group sessions with Canadian provinces and territories, and interviews with regulatory bodies in Canada and four international countries (The Netherlands, Australia, Sweden and Singapore). Based on the findings, the paper brings forward considerations for Canadian jurisdictions regarding the accommodation of micromobility devices on public infrastructure.