On Thursday I spoke with Oshawa Mayor and separately with 4 other Councillors asking for support to put an immediate pause on the shared e-scooter pilot program. They all said the same thing, they want to wait until the police investigation is completed.
However I don't see how the police report affects a Council decision to take a second look at its pilot program. Is Council to wait for the police to say the City should or should not reconsider the e-scooter program???
A couple Council members opined that the 'accident' was no different than a bicycle or other fatal traffic accident. Several have been saying this on social media too. I don’t accept that view.
A young Oshawa woman, Kaitlyn Pollock, driving a shared e-scooter, was killed in our City Wednesday May 17, 2023.
The City sanctioned the shared e-scooter pilot project. Although the accident could have happened in another way, like any accident know that, first at the Provincial level and then at the Region, the shared e-scooter program was approved as a PILOT project -like an experiment. Then at the City of Oshawa it was approved in June 2023 by Report DS-22-163 https://pub-oshawa.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx... Lastly on April 25 2023 Oshawa became the 1st municipality in Durham Region to launch an e-scooter pilot. Therefore, in my opinion now all 3 levels of government have a shared responsibility to investigate if there has been adequate due diligence to ensure public safety given how the vulnerability of participants in the program has been made horribly clear.
Those Oshawans who have concerns and suggestions for improvement, PLEASE VOICE THEM TO THE CITY by emailing [email protected] and [email protected] because right now it seems unless the public speaks more forcefully the program will continue unchanged.
In order to have a second look at the shared e-scooter program in Oshawa, a 2/3rds vote of the 11 member Council is necessary. This is the Council procedure to reconsider a previous Council decision.
5 members of Council have indicated to me they are not in support of putting a halt to the program at this time, so public pressure may be the only way to make it clear the public expects a review.
This is not a question of whether either driver made errors or had equipment malfunction and I find it disgraceful that that keeps cropping up. Pointing fingers does not mitigate the onus on the City to ensure its streets, boulevards, lines of sight, speed limits and shared space for the new micromobility devices have been set so they adhere to the Vision Zero policy to achieve zero traffic deaths and serious injuries.
Durham Region municipalities have agreed to support bringing urgency and accountability to ensuring transparency on the progress and challenges with respect to attaining Vision Zero’s 9 goals.
”Vision Zero starts with the ethical belief that everyone has the right to move safely in their communities, and that system designers and policy makers share the responsibility to ensure safe systems for travel.
The Vision Zero approach recognizes that people will sometimes make mistakes, so the
road system and related policies should be designed to ensure those inevitable mistakes
do not result in severe injuries or fatalities.
This means that system designers and policymakers are expected to improve the roadway environment, policies (such as speed management), and other related systems to lessen the severity of crashes."
Mindful of the above, Council should not delay taking a second look at the e-scooter pilot program and ensuring measures are in place that will work.
People are emailing, messaging and phoning me with serious concerns.
Even a first responder in the know about what happened May 17, 2023 wrote he cannot believe the City ever approved the pilot program.
I know many who have purchased private e-scooters or have used the shared Neuron/Bird ones are against pausing the program for a reconsideration.
Obviously the reconsideration would only apply to the shared program.
The City of Oshawa suddenly late last month was saturated with a seemingly ‘fun’ product, without the public having been adequately informed and educated about its risks.
I put up the post 'Oshawans care and have a voice' on my Facebook page and here too, in the hope that the public voice is raised high enough in emails sent to the City requesting changes at this time, if not asking for an immediate halt or pause, in the very least then, asking the City to
1) mandate helmets for all e-scooter users
2) mandate no go zones and mark them for the public to see where they are located
3) mandate a user license signed, not on the e-scooter app (who really reads the text closely when loading an app) but acknowledging acceptance and understanding of the e- scooter program rules in writing at city hall before operating a shared e-scooter
4) mandate designated parking zones (end the 'free floating' and ensure return to 'identified docking stations')
5) have the vendors liable for non-compliance of the above, and
6) publish a weekly report on the city’s website for transparency of all e-scooter complaints data made to the city & to the vendors.
With sincere sympathy on the tragic loss of life of a young 20 year old Oshawa resident. https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-pollock-family
However I don't see how the police report affects a Council decision to take a second look at its pilot program. Is Council to wait for the police to say the City should or should not reconsider the e-scooter program???
A couple Council members opined that the 'accident' was no different than a bicycle or other fatal traffic accident. Several have been saying this on social media too. I don’t accept that view.
A young Oshawa woman, Kaitlyn Pollock, driving a shared e-scooter, was killed in our City Wednesday May 17, 2023.
The City sanctioned the shared e-scooter pilot project. Although the accident could have happened in another way, like any accident know that, first at the Provincial level and then at the Region, the shared e-scooter program was approved as a PILOT project -like an experiment. Then at the City of Oshawa it was approved in June 2023 by Report DS-22-163 https://pub-oshawa.escribemeetings.com/filestream.ashx... Lastly on April 25 2023 Oshawa became the 1st municipality in Durham Region to launch an e-scooter pilot. Therefore, in my opinion now all 3 levels of government have a shared responsibility to investigate if there has been adequate due diligence to ensure public safety given how the vulnerability of participants in the program has been made horribly clear.
Those Oshawans who have concerns and suggestions for improvement, PLEASE VOICE THEM TO THE CITY by emailing [email protected] and [email protected] because right now it seems unless the public speaks more forcefully the program will continue unchanged.
In order to have a second look at the shared e-scooter program in Oshawa, a 2/3rds vote of the 11 member Council is necessary. This is the Council procedure to reconsider a previous Council decision.
5 members of Council have indicated to me they are not in support of putting a halt to the program at this time, so public pressure may be the only way to make it clear the public expects a review.
This is not a question of whether either driver made errors or had equipment malfunction and I find it disgraceful that that keeps cropping up. Pointing fingers does not mitigate the onus on the City to ensure its streets, boulevards, lines of sight, speed limits and shared space for the new micromobility devices have been set so they adhere to the Vision Zero policy to achieve zero traffic deaths and serious injuries.
Durham Region municipalities have agreed to support bringing urgency and accountability to ensuring transparency on the progress and challenges with respect to attaining Vision Zero’s 9 goals.
”Vision Zero starts with the ethical belief that everyone has the right to move safely in their communities, and that system designers and policy makers share the responsibility to ensure safe systems for travel.
The Vision Zero approach recognizes that people will sometimes make mistakes, so the
road system and related policies should be designed to ensure those inevitable mistakes
do not result in severe injuries or fatalities.
This means that system designers and policymakers are expected to improve the roadway environment, policies (such as speed management), and other related systems to lessen the severity of crashes."
Mindful of the above, Council should not delay taking a second look at the e-scooter pilot program and ensuring measures are in place that will work.
People are emailing, messaging and phoning me with serious concerns.
Even a first responder in the know about what happened May 17, 2023 wrote he cannot believe the City ever approved the pilot program.
I know many who have purchased private e-scooters or have used the shared Neuron/Bird ones are against pausing the program for a reconsideration.
Obviously the reconsideration would only apply to the shared program.
The City of Oshawa suddenly late last month was saturated with a seemingly ‘fun’ product, without the public having been adequately informed and educated about its risks.
I put up the post 'Oshawans care and have a voice' on my Facebook page and here too, in the hope that the public voice is raised high enough in emails sent to the City requesting changes at this time, if not asking for an immediate halt or pause, in the very least then, asking the City to
1) mandate helmets for all e-scooter users
2) mandate no go zones and mark them for the public to see where they are located
3) mandate a user license signed, not on the e-scooter app (who really reads the text closely when loading an app) but acknowledging acceptance and understanding of the e- scooter program rules in writing at city hall before operating a shared e-scooter
4) mandate designated parking zones (end the 'free floating' and ensure return to 'identified docking stations')
5) have the vendors liable for non-compliance of the above, and
6) publish a weekly report on the city’s website for transparency of all e-scooter complaints data made to the city & to the vendors.
With sincere sympathy on the tragic loss of life of a young 20 year old Oshawa resident. https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-pollock-family