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Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Can You Drive a ZENN or any NEV in B.C.? Ask Your City Councilor!

It turns out British Columbia isn't the Neighbourhood Electric Vehicle paradise that we thought it was. At least not yet. The province has created regulations to allow NEVs on public roads but only roads with a 40km/hr speed limit. They can only be driven on roads within cities or municipalities with a 50km/hr speed limit if the city or municipality passes a bylaw allowing them.

And municipalities in B.C., starting with Oak Bay have begun to pass just such bylaws.

Check out VernonBlog for a good rundown on B.C. and Neighbourhood Electric Vehicles.

If other provinces follow this model we might all need to be calling our city councilors!

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Kingston Not Alone in Support of the ZENN and Other Electric Cars

Kingston sent out its resolution (that I wrote about in my last post) to municipalities and counties all over Ontario. And, what do you know! All of the following councils voted to endorse Kingston's motion encouraging the government of Ontario to allow the ZENN and other electric vehicles on Ontario roads:

(not in any particular order!)

County of Lambton
(Council Minutes May 7, 2008)

Grey County
(Council Minutes June 3, 2008 and Transportation and Public Safety Committee Minutes May 8, 2008)

Lanark County
(Council Minutes May 28, 2008 and Public Works Committee Minutes May 7, 2008)

City of Guelph
(Council Minutes May 26, 2008)

County of Elgin

City of Pickering

City of Peterborough *
(Council Minutes May 26, 2008)

County of Peterborough
(Council Minutes May 7, 2008)

Municipality of Clarington
(Council Minutes May 5, 2008)

County of Frontenac
(Council Minutes May 26, 2008)

And

City of St. Catherines
(General Committe Minutes May 5, 2008)

This last one is particularly noteworthy since the Minister of Transportation, The Honourable Jim Bradley, is also the MPP for St. Catherines.

Although the Town of Markham is listed in the Kingston City Council meeting minutes as having supported the motion, Markham Council's May 13 meeting minutes indicate that they received the correspondence but added...

"That the Province be requested to study the viability and safety implications of allowing the Zenn car and other electric vehicles on Ontario roads."

So I wonder if this is where the province got its idea to do an independent safety study?

The Township of Hilliard passed its own motion on July 16 asking the Province of Ontario to do as Quebec has done and allow the ZENN to be licenced in Ontario. The City of Peterborough endorsed this motion on September 15. *

In any case, where are all the larger cities in this list? Don't they have an opinion on the matter? What about all those places with air pollution problems like Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Windsor? What about Sudbury and Thunder Bay?

______________

Here are links to the meeting minutes of the Kingston City Council where they acknowledge receipt of correspondence from these places indicating their support. In each document scroll down to "Communications", normally near the bottom.

May 20, 2008

June 3, 2008

June 17, 2008 *

July 15, 2008 *

I'll continue to add to this list as news of more support comes in.
*post updated October 15, 2008