After a recent court case, the legality of motorized bicycles appears to have a path forward (nope, it's not legal yet). I sent the following email to the Minister of Transportation and my government representative. The court case link is at the bottom and it's worth reading.
Dear Ms. Polak,
I am seeking clarity to certain provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act, specifically those to do with a "motor assisted cycle" following Judicial Justic H. W. Gordon's ruling in the R v. Ryan case.
Specifically, gas-powered bicycles (those bicycles which have a gas-powered motor added on or built-in at the factory) of less than 49cc are in a grey area with respect to the law. The case ruling found that while it is technically against the law, this is due to poor wording and not intention.
Myself, and other motor-assisted bicycle enthusiasts, would like the Act amended to clarify the intent of the law and treat powered bicycles the same regardless of the (safe) method of propulsion. As it currently stands, even a bicycle powered by compressed air would be in this grey area that is made by specifying only electric-assisted bicycles fall within these provisions.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. I have CC'd my local MLA and hope to hear back from her as well. Unfortunately, I could not use her official MLA email address, as it's unavailable on the government website so soon after the election.
For reference: http://canlii.ca/t/fql0c
Regards,
Greg Webster
I am seeking clarity to certain provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act, specifically those to do with a "motor assisted cycle" following Judicial Justic H. W. Gordon's ruling in the R v. Ryan case.
Specifically, gas-powered bicycles (those bicycles which have a gas-powered motor added on or built-in at the factory) of less than 49cc are in a grey area with respect to the law. The case ruling found that while it is technically against the law, this is due to poor wording and not intention.
Myself, and other motor-assisted bicycle enthusiasts, would like the Act amended to clarify the intent of the law and treat powered bicycles the same regardless of the (safe) method of propulsion. As it currently stands, even a bicycle powered by compressed air would be in this grey area that is made by specifying only electric-assisted bicycles fall within these provisions.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. I have CC'd my local MLA and hope to hear back from her as well. Unfortunately, I could not use her official MLA email address, as it's unavailable on the government website so soon after the election.
For reference: http://canlii.ca/t/fql0c
Regards,
Greg Webster