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Low-Speed Vehicle (LSV) Frequently Asked Questions - Controlled Environments
- How is the province treating LSVs in controlled environments?
- What are the timelines?
- How would these vehicles be registered for this pilot?
- What are the operating conditions of this pilot?
- What criteria must my LSV meet to be allowed on public roads?
- Where can I get an LSV that is eligible for the pilot?
- How do I register my LSV?
- Can't I already use my LSV on private roads?
- What is the point of allowing LSVs to travel across public roads onto more private property? Can you give some examples?
- Why just up to 50 metres away from property owned or occupied by universities/colleges? Why can't I go 100 metres, 200 metres, 300 metres or more?
- Why were parks, universities/college campuses and roads intersecting private property chosen for the pilot?
- On which university and college campuses can I drive an LSV as part of this pilot?
- Why just Pelee Island and not other islands?
- Can municipalities pass a bylaw banning LSVs in controlled environments?
- What happens at the end of the pilot?
1. How is the province treating LSVs in controlled environments?
- Effective March 21, 2009, the low-speed vehicle (LSV) pilot was expanded to allow low-speed vehicles to be driven on Pelee Island roads with speed limits of 50 km/h or less, within 50 metres of property owned or occupied by a university or college of applied arts and technology and between private properties by directly crossing certain public roads.
- Operators of an LSV must hold a valid Class A, B, C, D, E, F or G driver's licence and the vehicle must be insured, registered and have a valid licence plate.
- LSVs are required to have a slow-moving vehicle sign displayed on the rear of the vehicle to alert other road users that the vehicle's speed is limited.
- It is recommended that you become familiar with the posted speed limits in your area before you purchase an LSV.
2. What are the timelines?
- Both the existing and extended pilots will run until December 31, 2014.
- Final recommendations will be made on if, and how, these vehicles should be allowed to permanently interact with mixed-vehicle traffic prior to the expiry of the pilot.
3. How would these vehicles be registered for this pilot?
- Under this pilot, ALL operators of an LSV must register, plate and insure their vehicles, similar to the requirements for registering a passenger car.
- For consumer protection purposes, LSV owners would also be required to provide a signed disclosure form prior to vehicle registration that states acknowledgement of the LSV pilot, its operating requirements, and the LSV's lack of safety features compared to a passenger car.
- This disclosure form must be provided to the registrant by the seller prior to purchase.
4. What are the operating conditions of this pilot?
- The operating requirements for the controlled environment pilot and the province-wide pilot are the same.
- During the pilot the following conditions must be met:
- Operator must have a valid A, B, C, D, E, F or G driver's licence and insurance coverage;
- LSV must have a Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Canada) compliance label* from a manufacturer registered with Transport Canada, and must be manufactured as an LSV;
- LSV must be registered and plated as a passenger vehicle;
- Slow-moving vehicle sign required;
- Operator to provide a signed "Declaration Form" prior to vehicle registration that states acknowledgement of LSV pilot and the vehicle's safety limitations;
- All Highway Traffic Act (HTA) rules of the road and speed limits apply to LSVs and their drivers;
- LSV to have an interior warning label visible to occupants at all times;
- LSV not to be driven faster than 40 km/h;
- A traffic control device must be present before a low-speed vehicle may directly cross a higher speed road with a speed limit greater than 50 km/h and up to 80 km/h (LSVs travelling between private properties may directly cross a higher speed road up to 60 km/h without a traffic control device);
- LSV cannot be used for MTO road tests;
- No passengers under age 8;
- No towing;
- No modifications to increase maximum speed; and
- Municipalities may not pass by-laws to prohibit or alter the operating conditions for LSVs on roads within their jurisdiction.
*If the LSV is being used in the controlled environment pilot, the LSV compliance label must say "ONT-LSV-BASIC" or "ONT-LSV-5CVMSS". If the LSV is being used in the province-wide pilot on 50 km/h roads, the compliance label must bear the notation "ONT-LSV-5CMVSS."
5. What criteria must my LSV meet to be allowed on public roads?
- To operate an LSV in a controlled environment with a speed limit of 50 km/h or less, your LSV must:
- Comply with the federal LSV definition;
- Meet the three Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS) for LSVs. (i.e., seatbelt assembly, windshield, VIN);
- Be equipped with compartment doors; and
- Meet additional HTA motor vehicle requirements requiring service brakes, high and low-beam headlamps, windshield wiper, odometer, safety glass where glass is used, horn and federally compliant tires.
*Please note that the LSV type permitted in controlled environments cannot be used on public roads as part of the province-wide pilot. The province-wide pilot requires that LSVs be equipped with additional equipment and a few additional federal safety standards.
6. Where can I get an LSV that is eligible for the pilot?
- To assist in the identification of companies that manufacture or import vehicles that conform to the requirements for low-speed vehicles in the Motor Vehicle Safety Act and the Motor Vehicle Safety Regulations, Transport Canada has compiled a list of those companies that have registered with their department and can be found on their website at: http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/importation/vmrtc/menu.htm
7. How do I register my LSV?
- Firstly, check the list of manufacturers registered with Transport Canada to see where the LSV manufacturer/retailer is located and what types of LSVs they sell. Since LSVs are allowed on 50 km/h roads only, you will need to determine how to get your LSV home. A list of LSV manufacturers that are registered with Transport Canada can be found on its website at:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety/importation/vmrtc/menu.htm - Secondly, you should contact the Ministry of Transportation to ensure that the LSV manufacturer/importer has submitted the appropriate paperwork that shows compliance with Ontario's requirements.
- Thirdly, we recommend you call your insurance company before you buy an LSV to see what insurance coverage is required for your LSV and how much it will cost.
- Once that is all done, an LSV will be registered exactly the same way that a passenger car is today, with one exception. The only difference in the procedure to register an LSV will be that the registrant must provide a signed declaration form, provided to the purchaser by the seller prior to purchase, that states their acknowledgement of the LSV pilot, its operating requirements and that LSVs aren't required to have all the safety features of a passenger car.
- If you are registering a new LSV yourself, you must provide a Driver and Vehicle Licence Issuing Office with an Application for Vehicle Registration form, a New Vehicle Information Statement (NVIS) form, the original bill of sale and a signed declaration form.
- If the manufacturer is registering your new LSV for you, the manufacturer would require you to fill out an Application for Vehicle Registration form, a New Vehicle Information Statement (NVIS) form and a signed declaration form.
- LSVs are required to have insurance, vehicle permits and licence plates.
8. Can't I already use my LSV on private roads?
- While the use of LSVs on private roads is already legal, this pilot regulation will further expand the use of LSVs on private property by making it legal to directly cross a public road between private properties, if the speed and signal device requirements are met. An LSV may directly cross a road with a between private properties with a speed limit of up to 60 km/h without a traffic control device and between 60 and 80 km/h with a traffic control device.
- The pilot regulation also allows LSVs to travel a maximum of 50 metres away from property owned/occupied by a university/college along a public road within the university/college campus. A maximum of 50 metres will help facilitate travel on a public road between property owned/occupied by a university/college campus while limiting the exposure of LSVs to the higher volumes of mixed traffic they may encounter on some public roads in university/college campuses.
9. What is the point of allowing LSVs to travel across public roads onto more private property? Can you give some examples?
- While the use of LSVs on private property is already legal, there are instances, such as a resort setting, where a public road runs between private properties that previously would have prevented LSVs from travelling from one private property to the other. To facilitate accessibility between these areas, LSVs would now be permitted to cross higher speed roads directly (up to 80 km/h) if there is a traffic control device at the intersection. Also, drivers will be able to cross public roads with a speed limit of up to 60 km/h without traffic control devices to travel between private properties.
- An example of private property intersected by public roads that would have previously been inaccessible by LSV operators can be found in the Blue Mountain resort area.
10. Why just up to 50 metres away from property owned or occupied by universities/colleges? Why can't I go 100 metres, 200 metres, 300 metres or more?
- The farther away an LSV travels from a controlled environment, the more likely it will encounter roads with higher speed limits and/or an increased traffic mix and density, situations for which LSVs were not intended.
11. Why were parks, universities/college campuses and roads intersecting private property chosen for the pilot?
- Transport Canada recommends LSV use only for controlled environments because, while LSVs may look similar to motor vehicles commonly seen on roads today, they are only required to meet 3 federal motor vehicle safety standards, compared to the 40 federally mandated safety equipment performance standards that passenger cars must meet.
- On August 6, 2008, Transport Canada published an amended definition of a low-speed vehicle to clarify that it is only for use in controlled environments, such as university/college campuses and gated communities.
- Parks are an ideal location for the pilot testing of low-speed vehicles because they provide a controlled, low-speed environment in which to test the vehicles. For example, speed limits on most provincial park roads do not exceed 40 km/h and campground roads have speed limits of 20 km/h. This allows the LSVs to operate at the same speed as the rest of the park's traffic.
- From an environmental standpoint, parks are also good sites for the pilot testing of this vehicle type. Provincial and municipal parks and conservation areas have a strong commitment to environmental stewardship and education, and the use of emissions-free vehicles is one way to preserve the air quality in the parks. The vehicles are also valuable teaching tools in educating park visitors on how to creatively reduce their environmental impact.
- While use of LSVs on private roads in resorts and gated communities is already legal, this regulation will facilitate expanded use in resorts and gated communities and on other private property.
12. On which university and college campuses can I drive an LSV as part of this pilot?
- Eligible colleges are listed in s.2(1) of the Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology Act, 2002, Ontario Regulation 34/03 (General) as:
- The Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology
- The Cambrian College of Applied Arts and Technology
- The Canadore College of Applied Arts and Technology
- The Centennial College of Applied Arts and Technology
- Collège Boréal d'arts appliqués et de technologie
- Collège d'arts appliqués et de technologie La Cité collégiale
- Collège d'arts appliqués et de technologie des Grands Lacs
- The Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning
- The Confederation College of Applied Arts and Technology
- The Durham College of Applied Arts and Technology
- The Fanshawe College of Applied Arts and Technology
- The George Brown College of Applied Arts and Technology
- The Georgian College of Applied Arts and Technology
- The Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning
- The Lambton College of Applied Arts and Technology
- The Loyalist College of Applied Arts and Technology
- The Mohawk College of Applied Arts and Technology
- The Niagara College of Applied Arts and Technology
- The Northern College of Applied Arts and Technology
- The St. Clair College of Applied Arts and Technology
- The St. Lawrence College of Applied Arts and Technology
- The Sault College of Applied Arts and Technology
- The Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning
- The Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology
- The Sir Sandford Fleming College of Applied Arts and Technology
- Ontario has 18 publicly funded universities that are eligible for the pilot:
- Brock University
- Carleton University
- Lakehead University
- Laurentian University of Sudbury
- McMaster University
- Nipissing University
- Ontario College of Art & Design
- Queen's University at Kingston
- Ryerson University
- The University of Western Ontario
- Trent University
- University of Guelph
- University of Ottawa
- University of Toronto
- University of Waterloo
- University of Windsor
- Wilfrid Laurier University
- York University
13. Why just Pelee Island and not other islands?
- Pelee Island had expressed interest in participating in a LSV pilot project and the ministry agreed that Pelee Island provided a suitable environment for LSVs.
14. Can municipalities pass a bylaw banning LSVs in controlled environments?
- No. Municipalities may not pass by-laws to prohibit LSVs on roads within their jurisdiction.
15. What happens at the end of the pilot?
- Prior to the end of the pilot, the ministry will be assessing data and information gathered from the pilot and will make a final decision on how to permanently treat low-speed vehicles in legislation and regulations.
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Last modified: March 12, 2009