Bid to get Oshawa to re-visit e-scooter program fails to get Council support

An attempt to get the City of Oshawa to suspend the e-scooter pilot program after a young woman was killed while operating the vehicle two weeks ago failed to reach the council chamber floor Monday, with the vote to re-introduce the motion losing 8-2.

Councillor Rosemary McConkey, who has been critical of the program since before Kaitlyn Pollack was struck by a truck May 17 near the entrance of a gas station in north Oshawa, wanted the City to put a hold on the program while staff investigates the public safety issues.

McConkey said her constituents have asked about the City’s preparedness for the program before it was launched April 25, as well as the wearing of helmets, high risk areas that should be marked or geofenced and enforcement of the program rules by the vendors and by Durham Police.

McConkey wanted Council to suspend the program until staff and the vendors can “investigate whether the program can be made safer.”

McConkey and her seconder, fellow Ward 1 Councillor John Neal, were the only members of Council to support the motion, which required a two-thirds majority to be re-introduced.