If only he hadnB次元官网网址檛 removed the pedals.
On Feb. 2, Terrell Hall will be sentenced for driving while prohibited. The offence dates back to Dec. 24, 2010 when Victoria police Const. Andy Dunstan pulled him over on Belleville Street.
Hall was driving an electric scooter, which typically doesnB次元官网网址檛 require registration, licensing or insurance. For this reason, itB次元官网网址檚 known as the official vehicle for the DUI community, meaning those whoB次元官网网址檝e lost their driverB次元官网网址檚 licences for driving under the influence.
So Hall was within his rights to ride an electric scooter. He goofed, however, when he removed its pedals, thereby changing the scooterB次元官网网址檚 classification from bicycle to motor vehicle.
Dunstan sees it often. As a traffic cop, he scans the roads for scooters that have no licence plate or no pedals.
B次元官网网址淎 lot of people are taking these off,B次元官网网址� said Dunstan. B次元官网网址淧eople buy electric bikes but find the pedals get in the way.B次元官网网址�
While convictions for this type of offence are rare, confusion over the regulations present many problems.
Although classed as an electric bicycle, electric scooters look almost identical to gas-powered scooters, such as the Vespa or the Honda Jazz.
B次元官网网址淲e sold electric scooters in the early days and then we got out of selling them,B次元官网网址� said Michael Stevulak, of , a retailer in Victoria. B次元官网网址淢ainly there were quality concerns B次元官网网址� The other thing we didnB次元官网网址檛 like was the clientele was pretty much just taking the pedals off which made them a non-conforming vehicle.B次元官网网址�
When he first started selling them, he was surprised to see B次元官网网址渁ll these macho guys buying these little wimpy electric scooters.B次元官网网址�
Sure enough, Stevulak said, B次元官网网址渢hese guys were all people with licence suspensions and they wouldnB次元官网网址檛 have been able to keep their job if they werenB次元官网网址檛 able to move around.B次元官网网址�
People donB次元官网网址檛 ride electric scooters for fitness reasons because the machines arenB次元官网网址檛 good to pedal, he explained.
B次元官网网址淗alf the electric scooters you see buzzing around Victoria right now probably have the pedals removed,B次元官网网址� said Stevulak, who estimates there are more than 500 on the roads in the region.
Electric scooters are allowed on the Galloping Goose regional trail, but Stevulak questions it.
B次元官网网址淭he electric scooters are in limbo right now. There is an improper regulation for them to be classed as a bicycle, itB次元官网网址檚 silly.B次元官网网址�
The message hit home for Stevulak a few years ago, when he sold his first electric scooter to a woman, with much media fanfare.
B次元官网网址淢y phone started ringing off the hook as she was the woman who, about a year earlier, had killed a cyclist and had her licence suspended B次元官网网址� I had no idea.B次元官网网址�
From a police perspective, the problem is one of education about the regulations.
Police mostly give warnings when they pull over these offenders, rather than fines or charges.
B次元官网网址淲e are pretty generous,B次元官网网址� Dunstan said.
And heB次元官网网址檇 been generous to Hall two years ago when he pulled him over for the first time and gave him a warning. When he pulled Hall over a second time that same day, however, he laid charges. Hall pled guilty Dec. 6, 2011.
