Ontario To Permit Low-Speed Vehicles

    McGuinty Government To Set New Safety Standards For LSVs On Public Roads

    TORONTO, Dec. 5 /CNW/ -

    NEWS

    Ontario will permit low-speed vehicles (LSVs) equipped with additional
safety features to be driven on public roads, under rules to be released this
winter.
    Low-speed electric vehicles can be driven safely on public roads as long
as they include a number of additional safety requirements and follow
appropriate road restrictions, according to a National Research Council study
released today by the Ontario government.
    The study recommends that LSVs driven in traffic with faster, heavier
vehicles should be equipped with the safety features that Quebec mandated in
its recently announced pilot project, and that Ontario consider requiring
other safety measures.
    Currently available LSVs are designed only for use in controlled
environments - such as parks and college campuses - because they do not meet
federal passenger car safety requirements.
    Ontario also intends to allow federally compliant LSVs to operate in
controlled environments. A regulation authorizing this use will be made in the
new year.

    QUOTES

    "LSVs are a new kind of vehicle and it will take a new set of standards
to allow them to be safely driven on Ontario roads," said Transportation
Minister Jim Bradley (http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/about/minister.htm).
"Based on the study results, and after consulting with manufacturers,
municipalities and stakeholders, we plan to announce LSV safety standards and
the rules of the road for LSVs this winter."

    "Those of us in the electric vehicle business appreciate the province's
commitment to getting LSVs on the road, and its commitment to consult with the
industry before making the final rules," said Mike Elwood, of Azure Dynamics
and Chair of Electric Mobility Canada (http://www.emc-mec.ca/en). "Ontario is
moving in the right direction."

    "We're comfortable with the intent and direction of today's
announcement," said Brian Patterson, President of the Ontario Safety League
(http://www.osl.org/home.asp?flash=no). "We are pleased that Ontario is moving
forward with solid research in hand."

    QUICK FACTS

    -   LSVs are four-wheeled vehicles powered by an electric motor and
        battery. They produce no direct emissions and can reach a maximum
        speed between 32 and 40 kilometres per hour.
    -   Electric passenger cars that meet all 40 federally-mandated passenger
        car safety and equipment standards are currently allowed on Ontario
        roads.

    LEARN MORE

    Click here
(http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/vehicle/emerging/lsvtechreport.pdf) to
view the full report (available in English only).

    Read Transport Canada's information sheet
(http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/tp2436/rs200803/menu.htm) on low-speed
vehicles, which includes information on the safety standards that LSVs must
meet, and their recommended uses.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                              ontario.ca/transportation-news
                                                      Disponible en français


    BACKGROUNDER
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                 Key Findings

    The Safe Integration of Electric Low Speed Vehicles On Ontario's Roads in
Mixed Traffic Report, 2008
(http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/vehicle/emerging/lsvtechreport.pdf) is
a study conducted by the National Research Council (NRC) of Canada's Centre
for Surface Transportation Technology
    (http://cstt-ctts.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/main.html) to determine what - if
any - additional safety features are necessary for LSVs to be safely driven on
Ontario roads.
    A summary of the NRC's report findings is below.

    LSV Safety Features

    The NRC report expressed safety concerns including:

    -   Most LSVs available on the market today are not designed for use on
        public roads and are not manufactured with many safety features that
        would protect occupants in a traffic collision.
    -   Large differences in travelling speeds between LSVs and other
        vehicles may increase traffic congestion and increase collision
        rates.
    -   Other road users are likely to expect LSVs to perform like typical
        passenger cars on public roads, which may increase the potential for
        collisions.
    -   The lack of noise generated by LSVs may result in increased
        collisions with both pedestrians and cyclists.
    -   It is not possible to correctly install a child safety seat in an
        LSV.
    -   There may be a substantially higher driver injury and fatality rate
        among LSV operators due to the relatively low mass of LSVs compared
        to other vehicles on public roads.

    Making LSVs Safe For Ontario

    The NRC report recommended that LSVs used on public roads in mixed traffic
be equipped, at minimum, with those features required by Quebec in its
recently announced LSV pilot project such as:

    -   Windshield wipers
    -   Windshield defogger and heating system
    -   Doors
    -   Three-point seat belts
    -   Slow-moving vehicle identification emblem.

    In addition, the NRC recommended that Ontario consider other safety
features, including:

    -   Seat belt anchors
    -   Brakes on all four wheels
    -   Federal standards for occupant protections
    -   Safety glass on all windows

    To minimize safety risks associated with integrating LSVs onto public
roads in Ontario, the study made recommendations, including:
    -   LSVs should only be driven on roads with a speed limit of 50
        kilometres per hour or less.
    -   Infants and young children should not be permitted to ride in an LSV.

    Click here
(http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/vehicle/emerging/lsvtechreport.pdf) to
view the full report (available in English only).

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                              ontario.ca/transportation-news
                                                      Disponible en français


    BACKGROUNDER
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

           Safety Features Of Low-Speed Vehicles and Passenger Cars

    Low-speed electric vehicles (LSVs) are an environmentally-friendly option
for travel because they produce no direct greenhouse gas emissions. They are
powered by an electric motor and battery, and can reach a maximum speed of 40
kilometres per hour.
    LSVs look like small passenger cars but are actually designed and
federally certified for use in controlled environments, such as parks and
gated communities.
    Electric passenger cars are already permitted on public roads in Ontario,
provided they meet federally mandated passenger car safety and equipment
standards.

    Current LSV federal safety standards

    The federal standards that LSVs are currently required to meet are:

    -   Seatbelt assemblies
    -   Windshield
    -   Other features such as headlights, mirrors, reflectors and parking
        brake.

    Federal passenger car safety standards

    To protect passengers on busy public roads, every passenger car traveling
in Ontario must meet 40 additional federally mandated safety and equipment
requirements that are not required of LSVs, including:

    -   bumpers
    -   seat belt assembly anchorages
    -   driver impact protection
    -   occupant protection
    -   side door strength
    -   occupant restraint systems in frontal impacts
    -   tether anchorages for child safety seats.

    For more information about federal requirements for passenger cars and
other classes of vehicles, read Transport Canada's Motor Vehicle Safety
Regulations web page (http://webx.newswire.ca/click/?id=aee7fc0ede61cac).

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                              ontario.ca/transportation-news
                                                      Disponible en français



    Mike Elwood
    Chair, Electric Mobility Canada
    Azure Dynamics Corporation
    Unit 6 & 7 4020A Sladeview Crescent Mississauga, ON
    L5L 6B1

    Dear Mr. Elwood:

    Ontario is a strong supporter of initiatives that expand mobility options
for Ontarians, improve air quality and promote green technologies. Our
province has welcomed the safe use of green transportation technologies by
allowing new electric vehicles in Ontario, including Segways, low-speed
vehicles and electric bicycles, with pilot projects that began in fall 2006.
As well, electric cars that meet federal passenger vehicle standards are
allowed on Ontario's roads today.
    Of course, ensuring the safety of all our province's road users must
always be my number one priority. For more than a decade, Ontario's roads have
been among the safest in North America. In fact, our research shows that in
2005, Ontario's road fatality rate was the lowest ever recorded in this
province and lower than any province or state.
    The way we set the rules of the road has helped us achieve the degree of
road safety Ontarians know and enjoy today.
    Low-speed electric vehicles, known as LSVs, are entering the market as an
environmentally friendly transportation option. They are intended, and
federally certified, for use in controlled environments such as gated
communities, college campuses and parks, where there is limited interaction
with other vehicles, such as passenger cars, trucks and buses. LSVs are only
required to meet three federally-mandated vehicle safety standards, not the 40
vehicle standards that passenger cars are required to meet.
    As you know, Ontario would like to get these environmentally friendly
vehicles safely on our public roads. We asked the National Research Council
(NRC) of Canada to advise us on how we can do that. I am pleased to inform you
that the results of the NRC study point the way forward to that goal.
    The NRC report recommends a number of safety requirements to keep LSV
drivers and passengers safe. The report also makes a number of other
recommendations, such as restricting operation of these vehicles to roads with
speed limits of 50 kilometres per hour or less.
    In the next few months, my ministry will be analyzing the NRC study and
consulting with stakeholders such as Electric Mobility Canada to formulate
safety feature requirements and rules of the road for LSVs on public roads. We
intend to hold a workshop where manufacturers, municipalities, safety experts
and other stakeholders can discuss these matters before regulations are
written.
    I am also pleased to inform you that Ontario intends to allow all
federally compliant LSVs to operate in controlled environments. A regulation
authorizing such use will be forthcoming this winter.
    Vehicles that are both environmentally friendly and safely designed are
the kind of vehicles we want in Ontario.
    Thank you for your consideration of this important matter and please
accept my best wishes.

    Yours sincerely,

    Jim Bradley
    Minister

For further information: Nicole Lippa-Gasparro, Minister's Office, (416)
327-1815; Bob Nichols, Communications Branch, (416) 327-1158