A motion at Essex Town Council on Monday night calling for bylaws to govern the use of e-bikes and e-scooters was approved.
Town staff will now investigate what other municipalities do and consult with the Ontario Provincial Police.
Mayor Sherry Bondy, who introduced the notice of motion earlier this month, said the idea came out of a meeting with police.
"This came out of the OPP North meeting," she said. "We are looking at creating bylaws that are similar in the region, so that the OPP can look at a similar bylaw throughout the OPP territory in Essex County."
Bondy said her concern about e-bikes and e-scooters is public safety.
"Somebody could go 50 miles an hour down a sidewalk, and we want to make sure we're safely allowing them to be used within the municipality," explained Bondy. "We want people to use them. I think it's a valid means of transportation. Not everyone can afford a car, and these are environmentally friendly."
As Essex Town Council debated the motion, two 12-year-old girls suffered serious injuries when the e-scooter they were riding on went through a red light and collided with a minivan.
Bondy was shocked upon hearing about the collision in Windsor and said that once the Town of Essex enacts a bylaw, the town could launch a public education campaign on safe use.
