15| W aterloo C hronicle | T hursday,N ovem ber 1,2018 w aterloochronicle.ca Thank you Waterloo Region! I value and appreciate your support in electing me as your Regional Chair. Together we will build a strong, prosperous Region for all. 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WHEN QUALITY & SERVICE MATTERS CALL FOR A FREE ESTIMATE & VISIT OUR SHOWROOM TODAY! 2-500 Bingemans Centre Dr. (across from Bingemans Park) 519-570-0008 • ooring.com Mon. - Fri. 9:00am - 6:00pm, Sat. 10:00am - 4:00pm, Closed Sunday ooring.comooring.c WATERLOO - A class- action lawsuit against sev- eral electric scooter com- panies in the United States, including one that recently launched a pilot project in Waterloo, won't deter city officials from completing that pilot. Earlier this month, the city approved the partner- ship with Lime - one of the e-scooter companies named in the lawsuit alleg- ing "gross negligence" and resulting in numerous in- juries. Ryan Mounsey, senior economic development ad- viser with the city, said Wa- terloo conducted a thor- ough review of the busi- ness before council ap- proved the pilot Oct. 1, and implemented several poli- cies to ensure it is safe. That includes restrict- ing the geographic area where the scooters can be used, limiting the hours they can operate, placing a cap on the overall number of scooters available for rent, and installing sig- nage indicating where rid- ers can go or park. "We took a very cau- tious approach to this," said Mounsey, adding one aim of the pilot is to test the scooter's capability of fill- ing the "last mile" gap for people travelling from transit stations to their workplace. According to the Wall Street Journal, a class-ac- tion suit filed in Los Ange- les County Superior Court last Friday accuses San Francisco-based Lime and other e-scooter companies of "gross negligence" and "aiding and abetting as- sault." The lawsuit was filed on behalf of eight plaintiffs who claim the scooters are dangerous. Three plain- tiffs allege e-scooter riders crashed into them from be- hind, "resulting in severe injuries," the newspaper reported. Waterloo Mayor Dave Jaworsky said staff will monitor the pilot on an on- going basis. "I would say that the reason the city is doing a pilot is to better under- stand how this technology can benefit the communi- ty, and to see if there any drawbacks," he said. City bylaw director Shayne Turner said he's not aware of any com- plaints related to the scoot- ers. Waterloo Regional Po- lice were not able to pro- vide any information on possible collisions or inci- dents involving e-scooters. In an email statement to The Record, Lime said: "Lime received the com- plaint recently and we are in the process of reviewing it. While we don't comment on pending litigation, safe- ty has always been at the very core of everything we do at Lime - as is our missi- on of reducing cars from city streets and making them safer and greener for pedestrians, bike and scooter riders alike. Lime prides itself on always tak- ing proactive steps relating to safety wherever we have a presence." Waterloo's route is con- fined to the Laurel Trail between Waterloo Park Promenade and the David Johnston Research and Technology Park. The pilot is scheduled to operate un- til Nov. 30, and again from April 1 to Sept. 30, 2019. One complaint against the business model is that the scooters are dockless, meaning they can be parked anywhere on pri- vate or public property, in- cluding sidewalks. But ac- cording to the city's report to council, the scooters can only be left in designated parking locations identi- fied by blue signs, and "e- scooters will be removed from the pilot route each evening and will not oper- ate during winter/poor weather events." The scooters can travel up to 24 km/h, but use geo- fencing and slowdown mechanisms to keep them within the dedicated route. They can only be used by people aged 18 or older, and between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Helmets are suggested but not required, and Lime will be responsible for pro- viding insurance and in- demnification. Ontario does not define electric scooters in its legislation, meaning they can't be used on public roads. The pilot will offer 100 e- scooters to rent along the 5.5-kilometre route, and users download the Lime app to locate a scooter and unlock it. The majority of the cost for the e-scooter pi- lot will be borne by Lime, with the city sharing the cost of signage at an esti- mated price of less than $10,000. Lime launched in 2017 and Waterloo is its first Ca- nadian location, but Moun- sey said the city has re- ceived lots of interest from other municipalities who are keen to learn more about the pilot. Robin Mazumder, a lo- cal cycling advocate and doctoral student at the Uni- versity of Waterloo study- ing how the urban environ- ment affects mental health, said Waterloo is getting ahead of itself with e-scooters. He worries about the risk they pose to pedestrians, even though they are not permitted on sidewalks. "I'm on board with any- thing that gets people out of their cars," said Mazum- der, who was almost struck numerous times while walking in Madrid this past summer. "If they're used on the sidewalk, they can turn the sidewalk into a dangerous place." jjackson@there- cord.com SCOOTER SUIT WON'T STOP LIME'S WATERLOO PILOT PROJECT JAMES JACKSON jjackson@therecord.com LOCAL A CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT FROM EIGHT PLAINTIFFS IN U.S. ALLEGES "GROSS NEGLIGENCE" BY E-SCOOTER COMPANIES.