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

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

The woman 含羞草研究社� who we含羞草研究社檒l call Lois, as she did not want her name used for the story 含羞草研究社� 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, 含羞草研究社渞ing, ring.含羞草研究社� She turned to see two young women on one of the rental scooters flying down the sidewalk toward her.

含羞草研究社淭he girls yelled, but I heard no warning sound,含羞草研究社� said Lois. 含羞草研究社淚 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.含羞草研究社�

Neither woman, said Lois, was wearing a helmet.

含羞草研究社淭hey were already a block down the road by the time I got my phone out to try and take a picture,含羞草研究社� 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, 含羞草研究社渁re very polite.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檓 more than happy to share the sidewalk, but this was scary,含羞草研究社� she said. 含羞草研究社淚 shouldn含羞草研究社檛 have to jump out to avoid being hit at full speed.含羞草研究社�

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.

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

Riders go through an on-boarding process on Neuron含羞草研究社檚 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.

含羞草研究社淔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,含羞草研究社� said Ransom. 含羞草研究社淔or more serious cases or to deal with repeat offenders, we suspend accounts.含羞草研究社�

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.

含羞草研究社淢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,含羞草研究社� said Ransom.

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

含羞草研究社� Neuron riders must be 16 years old and above;

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

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

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

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

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

含羞草研究社� Always be aware and remove earphones;

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