Every spring, dozens of trailers appear on Pincher Creek streets and stay for months. Every summer, electronic scooters weave along sidewalks meant for pedestrians. And every year, according to one councillor, the town risks waiting until someone gets hurt before addressing the concerns.

At a Sept. 2 committee of the whole meeting, Coun. Brian McGillivray pushed council to confront both issues. McGillivray said he has seen e-scooters “ripping down” sidewalks and forcing pedestrians off their path. He also raised concerns about children and other pedestrians stepping out from behind parked trailers and into the path of vehicles.

In both cases, councillors wrestled with the same question: How can the town make its streets and paths safer before someone is seriously injured?

E-scooter usage

McGillivray pointed to Fort Macleod, which folded e-scooters into its transportation bylaw alongside bicycles, skateboards and inline skates. He said the approach is not about punishing riders but nudging them toward safer behaviour.

“It’s an incentive to have these people that are operating these e-scooters pay attention to what they’re doing on the trails, on the sidewalks, and so forth,” he said, adding the town should be “promoting safety at every opportunity.”

The town’s chief administrative officer, Konrad Dunbar, cautioned council that the legal situation surrounding e-scooters is more complicated.

Under Alberta’s Traffic Safety Act, power bicycles, including certain e-bikes, are defined and permitted under specific conditions. Dunbar said those devices can have motors of up to 500 watts and pedal assist capped at 32 km/h. E-scooters are a different story.

Dunbar said devices that do not meet the provincial definition are not currently legal on public roadways because they are not specifically recognized under the legislation. That leaves municipalities with limited ability to create local rules that would effectively authorize their use.

The province, however, is working on the issue. Alberta Transportation is considering a provincial framework for the safe and consistent use of personal micromobility devices, he said, work that could eventually lead to changes to the Traffic Safety Act.

The issue is also headed for discussion at the Alberta Municipalities convention later this month.

A resolution brought forward by the City of Spruce Grove calls on the province to establish a clear and consistent framework for personal micromobility devices, including e-scooters, while giving municipalities autonomy to enforce bylaws within their jurisdictions.

The resolution notes concerns around speed limits, age restrictions and helmet use, particularly among youth, and where the devices can operate. It also argues the current lack of clarity creates enforcement and public-safety challenges.

Couns. Mark Barber, Gordon McMullen, Bernice Cyr, Valerie Wynder and Sahra Nodge will attend the convention Sept. 23-25 in Edmonton.

For Pincher Creek, councillors agreed they could still act on safety without trying to legalize e-scooters through a municipal bylaw.

Mayor Wayne Oliver said the town should avoid messaging that suggests e-scooters are permitted when they are currently prohibited under provincial legislation. But he agreed the danger playing out on Pincher Creek’s sidewalks cannot wait.

“It is a safety concern, and it’s happening right now in Pincher Creek,” he said.

Nodge said the town could use its newsletter and other channels for a public-service campaign covering trail etiquette, including yielding to pedestrians, using a bell and wearing helmets.

McGillivray wants consistent signage on trails and repeated messaging on the town’s Facebook page and website, cycled every few months so it sticks. He said the campaign should cover all wheeled devices, not just e-scooters, and should reinforce that pedestrians have the right of way.

Council ultimately agreed to keep its approach general.

On a motion from McGillivray, council directed administration to develop a safety program covering wheeled devices on the town’s trail system and sidewalks.

Trailer parking on streets

Discussion turned to a problem that has bothered McGillivray since he moved to Pincher Creek: trailers parked on town streets for extended periods. He said he was rebuffed when he raised the issue during a previous term on council, but his concern remains.

McGillivray said he is not opposed to camping or outdoor recreation. The issue for him is what happens when large trailers obstruct a driver’s view of pedestrians, particularly children.

“I’m sadly awaiting news that somebody has stepped out behind one of those trailers, and has been hit by a car, or a truck, or a bike, or an e-scooter,” he said.

Oliver told council he counted 51 holiday trailers parked on town streets during a recent drive-around, plus another 38 trailers, including cargo and horse trailers.

Cyr said she has noticed the crowding along Bev McLachlin Drive, where trailers line the route from Main Street to the hospital.

“It does obstruct vision and I’ve seen kids and dogs almost ran over on a daily basis,” she said.

Dunbar told council that under the Traffic Safety Act, any trailer left unattached from its towing vehicle is technically considered abandoned after 72 hours and is not insured while disconnected.

McGillivray pointed to Wetaskiwin’s bylaw, which requires trailers to stay hooked to a towing vehicle and be moved every 72 hours, as a reasonable model.

Oliver questioned whether that would meaningfully improve safety, arguing a trailer obstructs a driver’s view whether or not it is hitched to a vehicle.

“There’s no improved visibility if a trailer is hooked to a vehicle or not hooked to a vehicle. The point is, is there improved visibility? And the answer is no,” he said.

McGillivray disagreed, saying an attached trailer at least carries insurance coverage if a pedestrian is struck.

“I’m just saying that there would be funds available to help with that child, to become well again, as opposed to where they may not,” he said.

Both McGillivray and Nodge agreed formal public engagement would be unlikely to settle the debate, given how strongly residents on both sides feel. But McGillivray said that was no reason to keep doing nothing and suggested council take another look at the town’s traffic bylaw.

“If it saves one child’s life, then the change that we might make to that bylaw would be worthwhile,” he said.

Barber said he hears complaints about the issue roughly once a month each summer, most recently from a resident concerned about a trailer’s slide-out extending into the roadway.

Nodge said any bylaw update should also address slide-outs encroaching onto sidewalks, calling it a matter of shared space as much as safety.

Council directed administration to research the town’s current traffic bylaw and bring back recommendations on trailer parking on municipal streets.