Toronto's latest transportation trend shows remarkable potential in helping to solve the city's need to move people, clear gridlock, and curb pollution.

Electric scooters and electric-assisted bicycles have for years zipped along busy streets in big cities across Europe and Asia and are now becoming a more common sight in urban areas of the GTA.

The findings of NEWSTALK 1010's investigation highlight concerns, though, that the growing popularity of these vehicles has become a blind spot for lawmakers and puts commuters at risk.

The Unregulated Ride: Toronto's Surge in E-Bike Ownership brings into the spotlight some of the issues connected to what could be a major shift in how Toronto moves.

A narrowing gap between 'e-bike' and electric motorcycle

Tour the showroom floors of some retailers in Toronto, and you'll find electric scooters that are styled after the latest sport motorcycles from Japan, or vintage cafe racers that summon memories of classic Hollywood films.

Gone are the days of battery-powered mopeds that offer limited options in terms of range and design.

The performance of so-called 'e-bikes' that are capturing a greater share of the commuting public's dollar are starting to match their motorcycle-inspired looks.

These vehicles are becoming faster, more durable, more maneuverable, and more like their gasoline-powered cousins.

Big gains in electric motor and battery technology are fueling demand in a surging market.

Safety advocates argue Ontario's traffic laws haven't kept up with the changes.

"I don't think today's level of speed or this type of vehicle was envisioned when the discussions (regarding possible regulations) around e-bikes started about 7 years ago," says Ontario Safety League President Brian Patterson.

"Back then, we were talking about 'power-assisted bicycles,' not electronic crotch-rockets."

Its possible that the feature that makes these scooters so affordable and accessible might also make some models hazardous, depending on who is behind the handlebars.

This is what Ontario's law says about e-bikes

Ontario's Highway Traffic Act is written so that as long as an electric scooter or electric bicycle has:

- Working pedals

- An electric motor with 500 watts of power or less

- A weight of no more than 120kg

Along with a top speed of 32km/h, then it meets the definition of a 'power-assisted bicycle.'

In other words, just like a regular bicycle, the rider is not required to have a motorcycle license, valid insurance, or have their vehicle registered with the Transportation Ministry to ride their e-bike on roads and streets.

Highway use is not permitted.

The rider must also wear a helmet, although the law states that it must be made to the standard of a bicycle helmet, rather than one designed to withstand the impact of a collision on a motorcycle.

There's no license or registration required to ride an e-bike

The law in Ontario says that as long as an electric bike or scooter is not capable of traveling faster than 32km/h, has working pedals, and meets certain weight and battery capacity limits, it is legal to ride on the street without any form of operator license or license plate.

According to Toronto Police, because these vehicles do not meet Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard legislation, they are not eligible to be registered with the Ministry of Transportation.

That means that as the rules are written, if an e-bike breaks the 32km/h maximum speed threshold, it becomes a motorcycle under the law.

However, because the vehicle does not adhere to Canadian safety regulations, there is no way to keep it legal for the street.

"These vehicles are changing on an almost daily basis," says Const. Clint Stibbe of the Toronto Police Traffic Services branch.

"The legislation has struggled to keep up with it."

Stibbe points out that the enforcement 'infrastructure' isn't in place to support a licensing and registration regime on e-bikes, similar to those surrounding motorcycles.

He warns the cost of putting together such a system would be an expensive public project.

Stibbe points out there are penalties for modifying e-bikes, like removing the pedals that qualify it as a 'power assisted bicycle' under the law.

He adds that an e-bike rider is under many of the same rules as the operator of any other type of motor vehicle, and that between the Highway Traffic Act and the Criminal Code of Canada, there are still legal means to prosecute an e-bike rider in the event of a collision.

E-bike technology is getting better

Thanks to the development of cheaper, more efficient, and more powerful electric motors and batteries, these scooters are not only capable of covering longer trips on a single charge, but they're also reaching higher speeds than ever before.

Vassili Kokkinias was once an engineer in the aviation industry but now is the co-owner of Green Choice Moto, on Danforth Ave.

He says sales are growing as more customers look to electric bike and scooters are a viable mainstream alternative to their gas-powered vehicle, or even public transit.

Kokkinias believes the growth of this market in Toronto can be a good thing for a city that's in the midst of a transportation crunch.

"It reduces traffic congestion, it reduces the space needed for parking, and it reduces pollutions," he says.

"Those are benefits that accrue to everyone, not just the person who rides."