VANCOUVER – They’re convenient and fun, but a surge in injuries involving electric scooters is becoming an issue on the campaign trail ahead of municipal elections in Metro Vancouver, with local leaders calling on the B.C. government to establish province-wide safety rules.
“They go from like 0 to 40 in like three seconds,” said Ian Tait of Ambulance Paramedics of B.C. “They go so fast and they can turn on a dime. But if you’re not paying attention they can also wipe out on a dime.”
When riders crash, Tait said, they often have little opportunity to properly break their fall. “When you hit something that’s like a dead weight thing, like a car or a curb, the rider just goes flying off of that scooter,” he said.
E-scooters are illegal in 36 B.C. communities as part of a pilot project that includes age restrictions. Anyone under the age of 16 riding them is breaking the law. But it appears to be happening a lot.
Recent data points to younger riders who have not yet reached the provincial age requirement showing up in emergency rooms after crashes. Figures from the Canadian Hospital Injury Reporting and Prevention Surveillance Program show 13-year-old children made up the highest proportion of emergency room visits for e-scooter crashes at 22 per cent.
There were 81 visits to the B.C. Children’s Hospital emergency department between April 2025 and 2026 related to e-scooter use, more than double those of the previous year.
Illegal riding behavior doesn’t end there. Riders in metro Vancouver are frequently spotted not wearing helmets, doubling —having two riders on at the same time — or appearing to ride while intoxicated. The scooters have even shown up on the highway.
At the same time, municipalities say riders and parents can struggle to understand the rules because regulations vary between communities.
Langley City Mayor Nathan Pachal said he hears from parents who want their children on e-scooters, but they aren’t unsure about what is permitted and what is safe. “People want to do the right thing, but they don’t know how to do it,” Pachal said.
New Westminster Mayor Patrick Johnstone said it’s an issue he keeps hearing about out on the municipal campaign trail. “I’m not exaggerating at all when I say when I go to have a meeting at a seniors’ centre in New Westminster and talk to seniors about their number one issue, it’s not affordable housing right now. It’s not crime on the streets. It is fear of scooters on sidewalks.”
The issue was front and centre at the Union of B.C. Municipalities convention this week, where the cities of Langley, New Westminster and Nanaimo have introduced resolutions asking the province to modernize legislation, create consistent rules for mobility devices, and provide municipalities with the funding and data to eliminate serious injuries and deaths on the roads.
In a statement to CTV News, the Ministry of Transportation and Transit said it will continue to work with local governments and road safety partners to improve road safety and safe access to active transportation infrastructure.
With files from CTV’s Isabella Zavarise and The Canadian Press
