Saint-Laurent Bans E-Scooters From Parks as Youth Injuries Soar

The Montreal borough of Saint-Laurent has voted to push electric scooters and other motorized personal mobility devices out of its parks, trails and sidewalks, after doctors reported a sharp rise in injuries among young riders. Saint-Laurent Bans E-Scooters from shared public spaces under an amendment to the borough's road-safety bylaw, though the devices stay legal on bike paths and slower streets. City councillor Vana Nazarian says the bylaw followed a summer of incidents and near misses, and she told CBC's Let's Go the goal is to keep fast-moving devices away from the borough's most vulnerable residents, according to CBC.

"We're not banning them, but we want to make sure that with the speeds that these scooters have, they stay more on places where vulnerable populations won't be at risk," Nazarian said. She added that the borough is home to many young families and seniors, who should be able to use parks and trails without being afraid of a collision. The councillor hopes the rule will push riders of e-scooters, e-unicycles and similar devices to use them more responsibly. Under the change, the devices are prohibited in public spaces across the borough, with exceptions for motorized mobility aids, vehicles being walked with the engine off, emergency responses and activities the borough expressly authorizes, the borough said in its official release.

Injuries are fourteen times what they were in 2023

The numbers behind the bylaw are stark. Deborah Friedman, the trauma director at Montreal Children's Hospital, says e-scooter injuries have skyrocketed since Quebec's pilot project took effect. "We have seen fourteen times the number of traumatic injuries related to e-scooters than we did in 2023 when it was first implemented," Friedman said. The hospital counted roughly eighty cases in 2025, and the tally has already reached one hundred twelve so far this year. Close to twenty percent of the cases require hospitalization. "We're not talking about little cuts and bruises," she said. The injuries include traumatic brain injuries, multiple fractures to the face, serious dental trauma, complicated fractures of limbs and abdominal trauma.

What worries doctors most is how young the victims are. Close to sixty percent of the children who arrive at the trauma centre are under fourteen, even though Quebec's rules say riders must be at least fourteen. Friedman, who also directs the national injury-reporting program, says younger children lack the judgment, skill, height and control to navigate e-scooters on roads while following the rules. She also flagged helmets as a weak point: many of the injuries come from children faceplanting, and she says riders need headgear that protects the face as well. She added that manufacturers share some responsibility, since the devices are sometimes marketed as though they are toys. With the holiday season approaching, she warned parents to think twice before putting one under the tree. "Each number that I mentioned is attached to a child, which is attached to a family, which is attached to a community," she said.

What the rules say now, and what doctors want next

Quebec's pilot project, introduced in 2023, lets anyone fourteen or older ride e-scooters on roads with speed limits under fifty kilometres per hour and on bike paths, with helmets required at all times. New restrictions that took effect in July of this year cap e-scooter speeds at twenty-five kilometres per hour, with police able to issue a two-hundred-dollar fine to anyone caught going faster. Riders may not carry a passenger, use a cellphone or wear headphones while riding. A little over two months ago, the Quebec government extended the pilot to 2028, even as doctors warned the rules leave children at risk.

Friedman commended Saint-Laurent for acting and encouraged other municipalities to follow, but she says the bigger fixes need to come from higher up. Doctors across Canada have been pushing for stronger regulations and better enforcement, and in Quebec they want the minimum riding age raised to sixteen along with a mandatory licence equivalent to the one needed for a moped. The Canadian Paediatric Society has taken an even blunter position in its family handout, telling parents that electric scooters and bikes are simply not safe for kids. Until the province moves, the patchwork will keep growing: one borough at a time deciding where these devices belong. For riders in Saint-Laurent, the message is simple — the park path is off limits, so stick to the bike lane, wear a helmet that covers your face, and slow down around everyone else. The decision shows Saint-Laurent Bans E-Scooters from the places where children play, and other boroughs are now watching to see whether the rule holds up.

For young riders, the takeaway goes beyond one borough's bylaw. E-scooters remain one of the fastest-growing ways to get around a city, and the injury data suggests the learning curve is steepest for the youngest users. If a scooter is on a holiday wish list this year, the hospital's advice is worth more than any product review: check the local rules, budget for a full-face helmet, and make sure the rider is old enough — and skilled enough — for the road. You can read more of our health coverage in Exercising Before Surgery May Protect the Brain, see how new tech is reshaping daily life in AiMOGA's Mobo Is a Home Robot Built for Family Life, and catch up on more Quebec stories in Quebec Author Gives Up Proving His Novel Was Not AI-Written.