Kelowna's mayor hopes changes made, and contemplated, will alleviate some issues around e-scooters

Hindsight being what it is, Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran says the city could have probably done things differently when rolling out its shared e-scooter program.

The pilot program hit the ground running when motorized scooters began showing up on downtown street corners within minutes of council giving final approval to bylaw changes allowing them to be ridden on city streets just as bikes are.

It didn't take long for residents to take exception to the way they were being used and parked.

In an effort to change those habits council endorsed a series of recommended improvements, but asked for such as a restriction on the number of scooters each of the four companies can provide, restrictions of where they can go and information on possible cancellation of the program.

During a one-on-one interview with Castanet, Basran says regardless of any changes, it's hard to regulate human behaviour.

"You can tell people not to ride on the sidewalks, you can tell people to wear a helmet, you can tell them to park in areas where they should be, and at the end of the day, a lot of that onus falls on the person renting it," said Basran.

Regardless of what regulations or restrictions are imposed, Basran's message to riders is clear.

"Please, smarten up and follow the rules. They're not that hard to follow...well, apparently they are because a lot of people are not following those rules.

"I think the operators are making some necessary changes working with our staff. But, at the end of the day, again you can't regulate human behaviour, so I'm asking those who rent these to be a little more respectful and mindful of what the laws are.

"Again, I would like people to use them properly or lose it."