By Adrienne Lam
Student in Master of Public Health in Epidemiology at the University of Toronto
Member of the Canadian Youth Road Safety Council.

My favourite running route is along the Toronto waterfront trail, especially on a sunny Sunday morning. It’s usually alive with joggers, cyclists and families out on a stroll. Yet each week, I see more and more people on electric bikes and scooters, moving faster and more efficiently than the trail or the city around it is designed to handle.

Sometimes I see a single rider on an e-scooter, zipping by with a sense of freedom that makes me smile. Other days, a couple rides together on one scooter, no helmets, balancing in perfect synchronization. Once, I saw a father with two small children, all three wearing helmets, the kids gripping his waist tightly. It is also not uncommon to see a man on an e-bike with a large Uber Eats cargo box strapped to the back, always in a rush.

Across North America, non-traditional vehicles (NTVs) – including e-scooters, e-bikes, hoverboards, electric skateboards and other small devices – are becoming an essential part of how cities move. Toronto’s most recent Micromobility Cordon Count recorded nearly 8,000 micromobility trips in and out of the downtown core in a single day, a 20-per-cent increase from the previous year.

Research from cities such as Vienna, Edmonton and Helsinki shows that these devices offer the benefits of affordability, accessibility and are environmentally friendly. However, they also introduce new injury patterns: there is a growing number of head trauma, fractures, and facial injuries from micromobility. Delivery workers face even more pressure with tight deadlines and a study in China shows even higher rates of speeding, phone use and collisions. 

We often place the entire onus on the individual. Did you wear a helmet? Are you going too fast? At the same time, the environment around them does little to encourage safe choices or protect them from mistakes. As a Master of Public Health student, I can’t help but zoom out. I’ve learned to think beyond individual behaviour and toward education, infrastructure and the inequities that shape how people move.

Take the dad riding with his kids. Do parents actually know what’s safe on shared paths? As for delivery workers, are the pressures of the job pushing them to ride fast or take risks to keep up? As for the couple without helmets, they may be on the trail because the streets nearby don’t feel safe for them.

As micromobility grows, our public education needs to grow with it. That means meeting people where they are: helping riders understand where e-bikes and scooters are allowed, encouraging helmet use without shaming people who may not have access, giving parents clear guidance about riding with kids and addressing the common misconceptions that keep coming up. One 2021 study published in the Sustainability journal found that many riders treat them modes of transportation as light, fun devices for short leisure trips, rather than “real” traffic. That can influence how seriously people take safety concerns. Public health messaging can help riders understand that these devices deserve the same respect as, if not more than, bicycles.

Yet research is clear on one thing. Infrastructure is the strongest predictor of safety. A Toronto study found that cyclist-motor vehicle collisions dropped by 38 per cent after new cycle tracks were installed, even as cycling volumes more than doubled. A built environment study showed that e-scooter crashes clustered around high-traffic arterials, intersections without protected space, areas where riders shift between sidewalks and roads, and transit hubs with high pedestrian volumes.

When a delivery rider speeds past me, I’m constantly reminded that their day looks nothing like mine. I’m out for a run; they’re working and their pay depends on how fast they can move. In Toronto, almost half of delivery workers now use e-bikes. We can’t talk about safety without including them. If we’re serious about Vision Zero, these workers need to be part of the conversation.

What we can do next

  • Build protected lanes that support all micromobility. Not just bicycles, but scooters, cargo bikes, and the heavier e-bikes many couriers rely on.
  • Set clear, practical rules for rental programs. Speed limits, geofencing, night-time restrictions and built-in lights make shared devices safer without limiting access.
  • Bring delivery workers into road safety policy development. They move through the city all day and face some of the highest risks. Their needs shouldn’t be an afterthought.
  • Shape public education around real behaviour. Families, commuters, tourists and delivery workers all ride differently. We need to tailor education to each individual’s needs.
  • Improve shared pathways. Clear signage, predictable crossings and basic maintenance help reduce conflicts between people walking, running, cycling and using micromobility.

When I run on the waterfront trail, watching everyone pass by, I’m reminded that we’re not really different groups. We’re all just people using the same path, trying to get where we are going. Micromobility is changing the way people get around. Our streets need to catch up. If we listen to the people who use the roads, including walkers, bicyclists as well as riders of e-bikes and e-scooters, we can design roads so that getting around feels safer and more pleasant. The person on the e-bike is just a neighbour trying to get through their day, like the rest of us.

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