OHTA.ca

So Im in heavy traffic and barley moving maybe 5kph tops as i turn right into a gas station/Tim Horton's with the signal on when an e-bike riding on the sidewalk traveling with traffic hits my right front bumper so hard it rips it off and sends him over my hood and into another car waiting to exit the driveway.

I proceed to call 911 as the ride was sent a good 20 feet into the other car and is acting very irate.I make this turn every day and always look for cyclists as i come to the driveway.I never saw him and my best guess is that he rode out of the Taco Bell and down the side walk .I know i looked and can only think that motion camouflage and his speed was how i missed seeing him .When the Police and ambulance arrive he calms down and refuses medical care.The witness in the other car made it very clear that he was in fact on the side walk and moving at a high rate of speed while i was barley moving

As the Police who were very professional were writing up the accident the rider tried to leave and only stopped when the police yelled to him he would get a failure to remain.While being questioned I pointed out that the e-bike had no pedals and there is no way that bike was legal since he was moving so fast.I also told the officer that i believe this bike to be a motor vehicle as there were no pedals.In the end i received no charge and the officer explained the the e-bike was in fact not up to regulations and illegally traveling on the sidewalk.

I have a few questions for the members of the board.

- am i right that the bike is considered a motor vehicle?

- i only have liability on my car so is he responsible or am i left to pay for this out of pocket?

My mined is racing as this just happened and i have not been in an accident in 20yrs so if anyone has any kind of advice as to what i should do please bring me up to speed.I have to go to the vehicle collision reporting center on Monday and have no clue what to expect.The police were curtious but didn't say much other to tell me i wasn't being charged with anything and inferred he was at fault.

Thanks in advance for any advise or questions you may have.

If it doesn't have pedals it's not a ebike but it doesn't make it a motor vehicle either. Either way it's not allowed to operate on the sidewalk.

You are going to have to sue the guy on the scooter in small claims court if he doesn't pay up.

I'm hearing different things about the legalities of riding an e bike without pedals so i just called the WPD and the officer i spoke to said that ebikes fall into a loophole because they are both human powered and motorized.To stay within regulation as human powered they must have the pedals a fixed while on public roads.

Once the pedals are off the bike it becomes motorcycle and requires insurance,plates and registration.He also said that while e bikes do not have a VIN and none of this can be done,the charges still remain the same as an uninsured motorcycle.

I dont want to screw this guy but he was moving so fast that I only saw him for about one full second before he hit me and i didn't see any braking on his part.I was very slowly moving up the driveway and could not back up because the car behind me had crept up to my spot on the road as he waited for the red light to change.I would not have had time to back up anyway because i saw the e bike,looked in my rear view mirror while shifting into reverse and bang over the hood he went.If i had been on my motorcycle i would have been moving a faster to stay balanced going up the driveway and would have been hurt very badly so I was extremely mad at the e bikers stupidity.Being broadsided like that on a motorcycle may have cost me a leg.Thank god it was raining and i took the car.

Furthermore im being told that the e bikers house insurance may pay for the damage to my car by other people.I wont bother suing him if it comes down to it .From what the cop at the police station said hes in for a world of trouble.

Thanks for you reply.

"I dont want to screw this guy but he was moving so fast that I only saw him for about one full second before he hit me and i didn't see any braking on his part."

what?

screw away... you have my permission

bobajob thanks,I think im going to have to.