{"id":7051,"date":"2022-10-01T13:06:45","date_gmt":"2022-10-01T13:06:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/?p=7051"},"modified":"2022-10-01T13:24:47","modified_gmt":"2022-10-01T13:24:47","slug":"are-silent-e-bikes-and-e-scooters-a-cause-for-concern-for-people-with-hearing-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oldsite.chha.ca\/fr\/are-silent-e-bikes-and-e-scooters-a-cause-for-concern-for-people-with-hearing-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Silent E-bikes and E-scooters a Cause for Concern for People with Hearing Loss?"},"content":{"rendered":"

D\u00e9sol\u00e9, cet article est seulement disponible en Anglais Am\u00e9ricain<\/a>. Pour le confort de l\u2019utilisateur, le contenu est affich\u00e9 ci-dessous dans une autre langue. Vous pouvez cliquer le lien pour changer de langue active.<\/p>By Sheila C. Serup<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

With the soaring fuel costs and expansion of multi-use pathways in most Canadian cities, electric bicycles and scooters are becoming popular as accessible transportation. The growth of e-bikes and e-scooters is accelerating, and likewise concerns for personal safety are increasing.<\/p>\n

This summer, I experienced two very close calls with e-bikes. The first as a hiker when I did not hear the approach of a mountain bike, despite checking behind myself frequently. The rider was genuinely apologetic after we chatted about it. During the second incident, I was bicycling and preparing to turn left into a parking lot. I checked my blind spot on my left, and as I began the turn, an e-cyclist accelerated and shot past me. Others with me had not heard them either.<\/p>\n

Through this article, I hope to open the conversation with you, and see how Canadians with hearing loss can enjoy the outdoors, whether walking or cycling.<\/p>\n

Users are attracted to e-bikes and e-scooters for many reasons, including the fact that they are battery-powered and therefore mostly quiet. E-bikes can speed quickly and take riders up steep hills and cover great distances without requiring much effort. With this, they are a practical vehicle for commuting in traffic-congested cities where there are bike lanes. As well they provide riders with mobility challenges the freedom to explore parks, pathways and back country trails where permitted.<\/p>\n

As they are so silent and accelerate quickly, pedestrians and cyclists can be fatally unaware of the approach of e-bikes. In China, they have been called the \u201cSilent Killers\u201d because many times a pedestrian will walk in front of an electric bike without hearing it.<\/p>\n

Often, a pedal cyclist is not expected to be passed while travelling at high speed and does not hear the motor driven bicycle behind. An unexpected maneuver by a pedal cyclist such as dodging a squirrel or avoiding a bump on the bike path can result in a serious collision with an e-bike travelling at higher speeds and unable to react.<\/p>\n

Is the lack of noise from e-bikes and e-scooters a safety concern for people with hearing and with hearing loss?<\/p>\n

Different types of e-Bikes and e-Scooters<\/strong><\/p>\n

There is a wide variety of e-bikes and e-scooters on local trails and paths. E-bikes are electric or power-assisted bicycles that generally do not exceed 500 watts in output or 32 km\/h in speed (speed limits vary from region to region.) E-scooters are under 500 watts in output and generally do not exceed 20 mph. Mobility aids can vary in design and function and may be ridden on pedestrian routes such as sidewalks.<\/p>\n

Regulation Falls to Provinces, Territories and Municipalities in Canada<\/strong><\/p>\n

E-bikes and e-scooters are posed to become the future of two-wheeled traffic. As vehicles are not federally regulated, provinces and territories and local municipalities can create laws and guidelines for the use of e-bikes and e-scooters. The requirement for e-bikes and e-scooters to have bells and horns varies across the country. Safety programs also vary. In Canada, the use of e-bikes and e-scooters generally do not require an operator license, registration, or insurance.<\/p>\n

Internationally, other countries such as Northern Ireland require riders to have a moped license, registration, be taxed and have insurance. In Holland, up to a third of bicycles are now battery powered.<\/p>\n

E-bikes are accepted for use in 10 provinces, and most provinces do not require a license, plates or insurance to own or operate. The following is a sampling of some of the different guidelines for the use of e-bikes and e-scooters from coast to coast in Canada.<\/p>\n