Sarnia considering low-speed vehicle bylaw

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Slow-moving electric vehicles could soon be allowed on Sarnia streets. Low-speed vehicles, which can travel at a maximum of 40 kilometres per hour and boast safety features like mirrors, seat belts, turn lamps, headlights and windshield defrosting, have been OK’d in a handful of municipalities since a provincial pilot project began in 2017, allowing them on streets with maximum speeds of 50 km/h.

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Municipalities still have to pass bylaws to allow them for the duration of the 10-year pilot, however. Sarnia city council recently approved gathering public feedback on whether the city should pass such a bylaw. Details will be available at speakupsarnia.ca within a month, city engineer David Jackson said.

“I think the general idea is these would be … a cost-effective, environmental transportation option,” he said.

The pilot is intended to gauge whether existing rules of the road are adequate for the lighter, slower vehicles to integrate with other traffic, Ministry of Transportation officials have said. The ministry “is committed to supporting new and emerging technologies that can help move people safely and efficiently while limiting environmental impacts,” a document about the pilot project says.

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Steve Devlin recently approached the city about using low-speed vehicles for a downtown waterfront taxi service.

He’s ordered three six-passenger vehicles, and is hoping to start next spring or summer if all goes well, he said. His business, Stevie Go Go, was inspired after vacationing in Lisbon, Portugal, where he saw several rickshaws.

“Five bucks, you just hop in, hop out wherever you want,” he said about his business idea. “Just something different with the waterfront.”

Other planned destinations include Sarnia Bay Marina, the Starlight Casino Point Edward and under the Blue Water Bridge, he said.

Lambton Shores was among the first municipalities to pass a bylaw in Ontario, approving the low-speed vehicles in April 2021. That decision was based on a presentation from people hoping to sell the vehicles, said Mayor Bill Weber, noting there’s been limited uptake in the community since.

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“I only believe there are two located in Grand Bend,” he said, noting he didn’t support the bylaw amid concerns about safety.

Golf carts, which don’t have enough safety features to be considered low-speed vehicles under the regulation, have also been a problem in some beach areas, he said.

“The OPP are doing their job … and telling (people) they’re not legal to drive on the road,” Weber said.

Low-speed vehicle drivers have to be licensed, can’t carry passengers younger than eight, can’t carry more occupants than seats, and can’t cross roadways where the speed is greater than 80 km/h, Sarnia staff outlined in a report.

“Golf carts and off-road vehicles do not meet, nor could an individual modify them to meet, the requirements of the regulation,” the report stated.

Another report including public feedback and seeking a council decision is expected early in council’s next term, starting in November, Jackson said.

It’s not anticipated changes to line painting or signs on city roadways would be needed if the bylaw is approved, he said.

“It is just a matter of passing that bylaw that would allow (low-speed vehicles).”