City of Powell River Council will consider allowing neighbourhood zero-emission vehicles (NZEVs) to operate on city streets.
At the Tuesday, December 17, committee of the whole meeting, councillors heard a presentation from sustainability planner Ana Lukyanova, who recommended changes to the traffic bylaw to allow these vehicles in Powell River on streets with speed limits of 50 km/h.
Lukyanova said low-speed electric vehicles are a very specific class created by Transport Canada about 20 years ago. She said they travel at a maximum speed of 40 km/h, weigh less than 3,000 pounds and travel on four wheels. They are powered by a fully electric powertrain. Golf carts and disability scooters do not fall into this classification, according to Lukyanova.
The BC Motor Vehicle Act allows these vehicles on any road in the province with a posted speed of 40 km/h or less, and the act allows municipalities individually to allow these vehicles on roads with speed limits up to 50 km/h. This would be permitted through the city’s traffic bylaw.
Lukyanova said there are many municipalities in BC that allow NZEVs.
“They have been allowed in a number of municipalities for quite some time,” she said.
Most of the vehicles have been part of municipal fleets and some commercial fleets, according to Lukyanova.
She outlined examples of the vehicles to councillors and pointed to BC manufacturers in Parksville and Vernon. She said vehicles could be used for purposes such as small dump trucks, landscaping vehicles, maintenance trucks and those types of vehicles. They are all electrically powered.
There are also consumer models available, although the selection is limited.
Lukyanova said there are two sections of road in Powell River where the vehicles could not operate because of 60 km/h speed limits. This includes the road section known as the cut on Marine Avenue, between Willingdon Beach and Townsite, and in Wildwood, past Sutherland Avenue heading toward Tla’amin Nation.
Allowing NZEVs would enable the city to purchase them for the municipal fleet where fleet requirements allow, saving fleet operating costs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to Lukyanova.
Councillor George Doubt said that looking into having smaller, electric vehicles that can be used in locations such as parks is a good idea.
“I’m a little concerned about speed ratings and safety,” said Doubt. “There is nothing in the report about the safety of electric vehicles.”
He said when these vehicles are operating on streets that allow speeds up to 50 km/h, the biggest issue for him is the safety of people in the NZEVs, in a collision with a three-quarter tonne truck that is speeding, for example.
Lukyanova said Transport Canada has done extensive work with these vehicles and looked at all aspects of safety. She said she trusts it has considered safety factors.
Director of infrastructure Tor Birtig said there have been preliminary discussions with staff about these vehicles and there is some interest in them, depending on the task at hand.
Councillor CaroleAnn Leishman said she’s in favour of going ahead with this and that it has been in discussion since 2013 with the sustainability committee.
“There’s many other communities that have done it,” she added. “There are no more safety risks than a bicycle or an electric bicycle driving on the road with vehicle traffic.”
The committee sent the initiative to city council for further consideration.
