At Monday’s City Council meeting, Council will consider approval to implement an electric scooter (e-scooter) pilot project for a two-year term.
Over the past year, several e-scooter businesses expressed an interest in opening in Red Deer, which prompted a more detailed look at Calgary and Edmonton’s pilot programs and the learnings from those municipalities. As it would be difficult to determine the success of the program in a municipal setting like Red Deer, administration is recommending trialing e-scooters for a two-year term.
“This type of pilot will allow us to see if e-scooters are something that will work for our community, and also help us to determine if this is something our residents are interested in using to support alternative transportation methods,” said Amy Fengstad, Parking and Licensing Supervisor. “The two-year pilot opens the door for new opportunities, with potential of longer-term options. With the current inquiries from interested businesses, this pilot would also provide the opportunity for businesses to trial Red Deer as a market, before making longer-term decisions.”
Council will review a number of options in moving forward with the pilot program, with administration recommending an open market option, which features no caps on the number of businesses that can apply to the program or the number of e-scooters the businesses can bring into the pilot.
“This open market approach will allow for the market in Red Deer to determine the demand and the ongoing nature of what e-scooters look like for Red Deer,” continued Fengstad. “The recommendation we are bringing forward is based on structures that have worked in Calgary and Edmonton, but do come with risks. With the current interest of business investment in Red Deer and the alignment with our Multi-Modal Transportation Plan, we feel it would be worth the exploration and pilot of e-scooter operations.”
If approved, the term for the pilot is planned from July 1, 2021 until October 31, 2023 for the summer months. Through public feedback and data collection, The City will determine whether and under what circumstances e-scooters will be permitted to continue operating in the public after the pilot ends.
Several bylaws will also require amendment to accommodate the use of e-scooters in our city, including the Traffic Bylaw, Business License Bylaw, and Parks and Public Facilities Bylaw. These will also be reviewed during Monday’s meeting.
For more information, please contact:
Corporate Communications
The City of Red Deer