PETERBOROUGH-Officers with the Peterborough Police Service Traffic Management Unit are reminding residents about the rules around low-speed vehicles (LSV) after a traffic stop Monday.
At approximately 11:30am on June 9, 2025, officers stopped a low-speed vehicle in the Barnardo Avenue and O’Carroll Avenue area.
The driver was charged under the Highway Traffic Act Regulation with:
- Drive LSV not in accordance with the regulation
- Owner operate a LSV on a highway with no insurance
Low-speed vehicles are defined as:
- designed for use primarily on streets and roads where access and the use of other prescribed classes of vehicles are controlled by law or agreement,
- travels on four wheels,
- powered by an electric power train (an electric motor and, if present, a transmission) that is designed to allow the vehicle to attain a speed of 32 km/h but not more than 40 km/h in a distance of 1.6 km on a paved level surface,
- not using fuel as an on-board source of energy, and
- having a GVWR of less than 1 361 kg;
The Traffic Management Unit has learned in some cases these vehicles are being called “enclosed mobility devices” which is not correct according to police. As they are considered low-speed vehicles they can only be operated on municipal roadways if the municipality has a by-law allowing for such activity. In Peterborough, such a by-law does not exist, therefore anyone using them on roadways will be stopped and could face charges under the Highway Traffic Act Regulation.
Any person who operates a LSV on a highway may be subject to an automatic court appearance in the form of a summons where the fines can range from $250 -$2500.
