A Vernon woman is happy to share her morning walks with Neuron E-scooter riders.

As long as they don害羞草研究所檛 mow her down on a sidewalk, as the woman said nearly happened to her earlier in May.

The woman 害羞草研究所� who we害羞草研究所檒l call Lois, as she did not want her name used for the story 害羞草研究所� was walking west on 35th Avenue, near 18th Street and Silver Star Elementary School, on the sidewalk. All of a sudden, she said, she heard someone yelling, 害羞草研究所渞ing, ring.害羞草研究所� She turned to see two young women on one of the rental scooters flying down the sidewalk toward her.

害羞草研究所淭he girls yelled, but I heard no warning sound,害羞草研究所� said Lois. 害羞草研究所淚 turned my neck and they were almost on me. They were coming downhill and I jumped off the sidewalk. Had they swerved onto the road, they would have gone flying.害羞草研究所�

Neither woman, said Lois, was wearing a helmet.

害羞草研究所淭hey were already a block down the road by the time I got my phone out to try and take a picture,害羞草研究所� said Lois, who walks the route daily. The scooter pair, she said, did not stop and did not hang around to see if Lois was alright.

Since the scooters have come into Vernon more than three years ago, Lois said the majority of scooter riders she encounters, 害羞草研究所渁re very polite.害羞草研究所�

害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 more than happy to share the sidewalk, but this was scary,害羞草研究所� she said. 害羞草研究所淚 shouldn害羞草研究所檛 have to jump out to avoid being hit at full speed.害羞草研究所�

Vernon follows ministry of transportation rules for the e-scooter except the two-wheelers to be on sidewalks. Riding is allowed on bike lanes, multi-use pathways, empty sidewalks and roads with a speed limit of 50 km/h or lower. One rider per e-scooter, and no tandem riding with children.

Riders must be 16 and over, and wearing a helmet is mandatory. A helmet is provided with every scooter.

Neuron Mobility head of corporate affairs Isaac Ransom said, in an e-mail to The Morning Star, Vernon has embraced the e-scooters since their launch in July 2021, with more than 700,000 million kilometres traveled.

害羞草研究所淭he vast majority of people ride responsibly, with over 99.99 per cent of trips ending safely and without incident,害羞草研究所� said Ransom.

Riders go through an on-boarding process on Neuron害羞草研究所檚 phone app and each ride is equipped with a bell that is clearly visible on the e-scooter.

If riders do break the rules or ride dangerously, they can be suspended or banned entirely from the service.

害羞草研究所淔or less serious offences, our aim is to re-educate riders by delivering training material to complete from our industry-leading digital education platform, ScootSafe Academy,害羞草研究所� said Ransom. 害羞草研究所淔or more serious cases or to deal with repeat offenders, we suspend accounts.害羞草研究所�

All Neuron e-scooters have unique registration plates that are GPS-connected so Neuron knows their locations at all times and every trip is logged, said Ransom, which helps identify anyone behaving irresponsibly.

害羞草研究所淢embers of the public can report any issues, including irresponsible riding, to our Customer Support team via our app or by phone and email; the details can be found on our and on our vehicles,害羞草研究所� said Ransom.

The rules for riding e-scooters in Vernon are below:

害羞草研究所� Neuron riders must be 16 years old and above;

害羞草研究所� Wearing a helmet is mandatory, there is one on every e-scooter;

害羞草研究所� Riding is allowed on bike lanes, multi-use pathways, empty sidewalks and roads with a speed of 50km/h or lower;

害羞草研究所� One rider per e-scooter, and no tandem riding with children;

害羞草研究所� Keep a safe distance from pedestrians and mobility devices, such as wheelchairs;

害羞草研究所� Do not ride under the influence of alcohol or other substances;

害羞草研究所� Always be aware and remove earphones;

害羞草研究所� Park responsibly and don害羞草研究所檛 cause an obstruction. Riders are encouraged to use designated parking areas which can be found in the app.