Project Voltage combines education with targeted patrols as officers report risky riding and confusion over Quebec’s rules.
Electric scooters, e-bikes and one-wheel devices have become a common sight on local streets. Now, the intermunicipal police service for Thérèse-De Blainville is intensifying a summer campaign aimed at riders who may not know the rules or choose not to follow them.
Project Voltage is operating in Boisbriand, Lorraine, Rosemère and Sainte-Thérèse. The Régie intermunicipale de police Thérèse-De Blainville, or RIPTB, says the campaign combines public information, prevention and enforcement as the popularity of electric mobility devices grows.
Police say officers have observed more risky behaviour and received more complaints from residents. The service has also found that many riders, particularly young people, are unfamiliar with age limits, helmet requirements, speed restrictions and the places where different devices may legally be used.
Parents do not always know the rules either, according to the police service. Project Voltage therefore brings together patrol officers, neighbourhood officers, traffic personnel, prevention teams and communications staff, with the four municipalities helping distribute safety information.
What Quebec’s rules require
Under Quebec’s motorized personal transportation device pilot project, riders of electric scooters, electric unicycles and similar devices must be at least 14, carry proof of age and wear a properly fastened helmet. The devices are limited to 25 km/h and may be used on roads with speed limits of 50 km/h or less and on associated bicycle lanes, unless signs prohibit them.
Riders cannot carry passengers, wear headphones or use a handheld phone or entertainment screen while moving. Sidewalk riding is generally prohibited. Quebec says violations of the pilot-project rules can lead to fines ranging from $100 to $200, depending on the offence.
Electric bicycles fall under different rules. Quebec requires riders to wear a compliant bicycle helmet. Riders must be 18 or older, although people aged 14 to 17 may operate an electric bicycle if they hold a Class 6D moped licence. A compliant e-bike must have operable pedals, a motor rated at no more than 500 watts and assistance that stops at 32 km/h or less.
Education first, tickets when warranted
Throughout the summer, police have used social-media posts, educational encounters and targeted operations. The RIPTB says officers will continue to favour education when circumstances allow, but tickets will be issued when they observe dangerous behaviour or regulatory violations.
“Our first objective remains to inform citizens and equip parents so they understand the rules governing these devices,” Chief Inspector Karine Desaulniers said in the release. She described the safety of riders, pedestrians and other road users as a shared responsibility.
The police service did not provide figures for complaints, stops, warnings, tickets or collisions associated with the campaign. Project Voltage is expected to continue over the coming weeks across the four municipalities.
