We need to think about safety before allowing e-scooters

Re City can’t afford to say no to e-scooters, Elliott, Dec. 3

Some 15 years ago, I was retired and travelling on the streetcar along Queen Street, going to my volunteer job.

I was surprised to see a young woman on an e-scooter making her way along the sidewalk, among pedestrians.

I forgot about her and got off at my stop and turned to cross Queen Street, when, with a second to spare, the e-scooter raced past in front of me on the sidewalk, missing me by inches. I am deaf and had no warning. We could easily have collided and would have fallen in front of passing traffic. I hate to think how such an accident would have affected a number of lives.

I later phoned the local police station to make them aware of this hazard.

These days, there are many more vulnerable people and children on sidewalks that need protection from e-scooters.

We rarely see cyclists on sidewalks these days; please no e-scooters.

Joan Jones, Toronto

Matt Elliott presents a balanced opinion about the future of e-scooters in Toronto. He agrees that there are many safety issues, but these are overridden by the need to get people out of cars and lower road congestion.

Elliott says that “the scooters are coming,” meaning that city hall will allow them on the streets and paths of our city. The inference is that everyone has to adjust. The problem is, and will be, that people do not adjust and that too many cyclists, e-bike users and e-skate boarders will continue to refuse to slow down. And pedestrians on cellphones will still wander without looking.

The Goodman Trail, in particular, which is already extremely overcrowded on weekends from May to October, will become a disaster zone with the addition of rental e-scooters. Anyone who frequents the trail absolutely knows this reality.

The answer to road congestion should not be at the cost of safety elsewhere.

Mike Faye, Toronto