Low Speed Vehicles in Ontario
The July 29, 2008 CBC article title Ont. wants further studies into electric car safety caught my eye. You see, the Zenn was all ready to be street legal until Transport Canada changed the rules on low speed vehicles (LSV)–intentionally! This situation is well described by the Electric Vehicle Council of Ottawa (EVCO).
Transport Canada has its view:
Note: LSV safety standards do not match the safety standards of the conventional larger, heavier motor vehicle classes that travel our public roads. This poses a real threat to people inside LSVs, if they are operated on public roads.
(Transport Canada’s emphasis)
I am a big proponent of safety, but this is ridiculous. Any protective shell is an improvement over the t-shirt and shorts I wear when cycling on roads in Ontario. I wear my bicycle helmet and follow the rules and hope, pray, and beg everyone else to predictably do the same.
Electric-cars-are-for-girls.com provides a wonderful physics lesson about vehicle collisions.
Don’t worry, CBC hasn’t yet (July 30, 2008 ) censored comments made in June 2008 which explain my favourite conspiracy theory for Transport Canada’s about face: loss of fuel tax revenue.
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Aside 1: Let me misinterpret EVCO’s timeline and provide some direct links to you.
- 2000: low speed vehicles defined federally (info sheet; regulation; Technical Standards Document Number 500)
- 2006: Ontario allows testing of LSV places like park roads
- 2007 (November): Zenn is granted use of Transport Canada’s National Safety Mark
- 2007 (December): Transport Canada sets up provinces to take positive action to allow Zenn on their roads
- 2008 (July 28): MTO Ontario decides to second guess Transport Canada and question’s the safety of Zenn
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Aside 2: Did you know every individual in Canada has implied knowledge of trigonometry since ignorance of the law is no excuse: the stability of motorcycles must satisfy a couple equations which are functions of sine and inverse tangent.
© Fowler Media
Maybe they changed their mind becuase of new data, the ability for people to make up conspiracies is astounding. Anything that can’t even maintain the speed limit certainly needs closer inspection before being allowed on the roads.
Dare you suggest walking, running, bicycling, or skating be illegal modes of transportation?
A friendly reminder: it is a speed LIMIT.
I’m so happy every time I see someone else blogging about the ZENN and yours is more detailed than some. I’ve been doing it too at:
http://causalitybrunch.blogspot.com/
My lastest entry is about how Kingston City Council passed a motion in support of the ZENN. Do you know if London has done anything like this or is discussing it?
You must not drive.
LSVs or LUVs (limited use vehicles) should be encouraged.
Many Londoners drive a healthy percentage of their miles inside the city annually, our transportation emissions are not going down (at least as of 1990) and our air quality sucks.
I suggest a few ways to entice people to buy LUVs in my next column in The Londoner (available Wednesday @ http://beta.thelondoner.ca/SearchCat.aspx?cid=4186 ).
Weigh in, if you’d like.
Gord Harrison
@ http://www.itstrikesmefunny.blogspot.com/
Gord: I’m a big proponent of road tolls, esp. during peak periods, with lower rates for green vehicles. Similarly, I would be in favor of green lanes, provided that those green vehicles were also permitted to use the other lanes as well. I do not agree with parking fee waivers, since public transit should continue to be the preferred mode after walking and bicycling. Complimentary car washes would be ok provided that it’s not paid for by the taxpayer and as long as it doesn’t involve city-owned spray pads