New BrunswickSaint John is discussing e-scooter safety around the city as users and rentals increase. The city is opting to monitor the e-scooter scene for now and hopes the province will make rules for riders soon.City has seen a rise in e-scooter usage, won’t make any bylaws just yetOliver Pearson · CBC News · Posted: Nov 26, 2025 5:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 3 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.The City of Saint John is discussing e-scooter safety as usage in the city increases with hopes for formal rules to come from the province. (Stevie Go Go/Facebook)Another New Brunswick city has joined the conversation about the safety of e-scooters as more of them whiz into town.The City of Saint John’s public safety committee discussed the topic last week but won’t make anything formal just yet.“We’re going to monitor the use in Saint John in 2026 and see if there’s any significant increase,” said Tim O’Reilly, the city’s director of public works and transportation.O’Reilly said there has been an increase in e-scooter use in Saint John and the rest of the province.He said if e-scooters become an issue, recommendations will be made to council. But, the city is hoping the province will make a move on e-scooters under the Motor Vehicle Act first.CBC News asked for an interview with someone from the Department of Justice and Public Safety, but one was not provided. Spokesperson Geoffrey Downey said in an email that the department is part of a Canada-wide group discussing potential e-scooter legislation, but “enforcement and fines on municipal trails and streets would fall under the responsibility of the municipality.” Tim O’Reilly is the director of public works and transportation for the City of Saint John. He said the city will watch the rise of e-scooter use and hold off on bylaws for now. (Lane Harrison/CBC)O’Reilly used the Department of Justice and Public Safety’s act requiring cyclists on the road to wear helmets as an example.“In terms of scooters, there are no provincial rules in terms of how they’re used,” he said. “So we are turning to the province to look for rules put in place across the province to use them safely,” said O’Reilly.The Canadian Automobile Association, or CAA, recently released a study on e-scooter and e-bike road safety.Julia Kent, the director of advocacy and community relations with CAA Atlantic, said the recent rapid growth of e-scooters has been too fast for government to react.She said CAA’s study hopes to inform government on what regulations should be in place.Mandatory helmet use and banning sidewalk use are good first steps, according to Kent.She said wearing a helmet is mandatory in a few provinces and recommended in others.”Right now, there’s really no consistency within Canada,” said Kent.The City of Moncton has also looked at the issue. Moncton Fire Chief Conrad Landry addressed city council in September about the lack of provincial legislation.Moncton voted in favour of a bylaw, on a committee level, to regulate the companies that rent scooters — not the riders themselves.The bylaw, which is waiting for a council vote, would ensure that helmets are provided, riders are not below the age of 16, speed limit regulators are installed and scooters are parked and maintained.A Moncton committee voted in favour of a bylaw, which is awaiting council vote, that would ensure helmets are provided, riders are not below the age of 16, speed limit regulators are installed and scooters are parked and maintained. (Rhythm Rathi/CBC)O’Reilly said if Saint John moved forward with rules, they would likely mirror what Moncton has proposed.He said Saint John has around 60 e-scooter rental units while Moncton has around 200.The Union of Municipalities of New Brunswick also brought up e-scooters at its annual general meeting in October.A resolution was passed at the meeting for members to support the union lobbying the ministers of justice, public safety, health and local government to implement safety regulations.No one from the union was available for an interview before publication.The union’s resolution has concerns with the prevalence of youth under the age of 15 driving e-scooters and that some e-scooters and e-bikes can reach top speeds of around 60 km/h.For now, O’Reilly said the city will work on information for e-scooter users under its road safety education program.“We’re adding some components going into 2026 to advise scooter operators on how to operate safely, such as wearing a helmet [and] looking out for other operators on the roadway.”ABOUT THE AUTHOROliver Pearson is a reporter at CBC New Brunswick. He can be reached at oliver.pearson@cbc.caWith files from Information Morning Saint John
Saint John discussing e-scooter safety, with hopes for provincial rules soon
