St. Albert rolls out e-scooters

E-scooters are now available in St. Albert as part of a year-long pilot project. (CTV News Edmonton)

EDMONTON — E-scooters have become a familiar sight in Edmonton, stacked up in rows on sidewalks, tossed on their side on street corners, and buzzing under the feet of Edmontonians from all walks of life.

And now, St. Albert citizens will be getting in on the trend with a pilot project set to run until next fall.

"We’re really interested in seeing how residents react to it, how it improves mobility in St. Albert," said Mayor Cathy Heron. "Personally, I think it's fantastic.”

Although the ribbon-cutting for the program was Wednesday, the scooters have been on the streets for about two weeks. The early reviews have been positive, but some city residents have complained about how they're being discarded after use.

“Lots of people love it, there's some concern with where they are being parked at the end of a ride so there's ways we can address that," Heron said.

“St. Albert has a zone so you can't take the scooter out of a certain zone. We've actually limited the speed ... a little bit lower than other municipalities and you are required to wear a helmet here.”

Another difference from Edmonton is that in St. Albert people can ride scooters legally on sidewalks.

“We have to make sure everybody's sharing the trails and the sidewalks because in St. Albert you ride them on the sidewalk, not on the road. It's different in other municipalities but we allow it here because we think it's safer. So, we have to be really cautious about sharing the trails," the mayor said.