Ontario may allow three-wheeled vehicles on city roads

Frank Stronach, founder of the international automotive parts company Magna International, is in the process of developing the “Sarit,” an electric single-seat vehicle with three wheels that’s small enough to take advantage of city bike lanes.

Ontario is proposing changing the rules to allow cities who opt in to test compact three-wheeled vehicles on their roads.

The idea was first mentioned in the 2023 budget as a way to meet provincial goals of finding “new, affordable and green transportation options to get around.”

The proposal would allow Urban Mobility Vehicles (UMVs) to be driven on municipal roads as part of a pilot project, should a city choose.

The province defines a UMV as a “small, compact, enclosed, three-wheeled, slow-moving electric vehicle.” It has a maximum speed of 32 km/h and typically only has one seat.

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According to the proposal, these vehicles do not meet federal Motor Vehicle Safety Act standards and are not allowed on provincial roadways.

In the publicly posted regulation, the Ministry of Transportation said that a pilot project would “ensure UMVs can be safely integrated with other road users before further decisions are made.”

If enacted, drivers would have to have a Class G licence and seasonal limitations would be imposed.

The vehicles would also be exempt under the Compulsory Automobile Insurance Act.

The proposal is open to public feedback and the province hopes to learn more about both the community benefits of such a pilot and what the safety concerns are.

Brian Patterson, president of the Ontario Safety League, said he would be concerned about the speeds at which UMVs travel.

“Speed differential is often one of the biggest factors in creating an unsafe environment,” he told CTV News Toronto Wednesday. “If you've got a vehicle where the speed differential is as significant as it would be, it's unworkable.”

He also stressed it would be challenging to pilot such small vehicles without supporting infrastructure.

“Where do you park it?”

“I can't see the head of engineering in any urban community that this would be priority one on their desk.”

Ontario’s proposal also includes changes that will allow golf cars to be driven on roadways under municipal jurisdictions. To opt-in, municipalities would have to create by-laws that would restrict where they could be operated.

They are also looking into whether to permit golf cars at ferry terminals.

As it stands, there are only two municipalities that have been allowed to participate in the pilot.

The Ministry of Transportation has been piloting various micromobility vehicles since 2005. The vehicles being piloted include scooters, golf cars, cargo e-bikes and large quadricycles.

“Across all pilots, there are 18 municipalities participating, with no serious injuries or fatal accidents reported,” the ministry said. “The province knows new vehicle technology is important, especially if it expands mobility options for Ontarians. However, we need to make sure any new vehicle types can be safely integrated with pedestrians and other vehicles before they can be allowed on-road.”

“That’s why, with any new pilot program, all Ontario municipalities would be able to choose whether to allow the new vehicles on their roads.”

The proposal was posted publicly on Monday and is open for public comment until May 9.