What is the biggest thing to hit Ottawa in 2021?
No, not COVID-19. It's the hundreds of scooters zipping all over the city! They are everywhere as part of a city pilot project.
I first saw cities mass deploying scooters as a form of public transport in Lyon, France, which we visited on our last trip to Europe in 2019. I marveled at how fun and efficient they seemed to be and I was curious whether they would work in Canada.
Well, now I know they do! Well, at least in Ottawa. People - young people especially - are loving these things and they are all over the neighbourhood. I'm curious to see if people will still use them in the shoulder seasons when it gets really cold, but for now it seems like a big success.
There are at least three companies competing for business: Bird Canada, Neuron and Lime, and it'll be interesting if all three survive this year's pilot project.
Guilty secret: I haven't tried one of these yet. Call me old fashioned by I'm happy relying on my old two legs to get around the city. When I have to go farther, it's usually to go really far so a scooter won't work for that either. But mark my words, I will try one of these days!
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