 | Rick Eybel is breathing easier these days. The Niagara Falls man spent six months with more than $11,000 in fines hanging over his head after being stopped by police while riding his e-bike last November. His crime? A broken pedal. Police handed Eybel 4 tickets and towed his e-bike even after Eybel proved his broken pedal was being replaced. It cost him $ 360 to get his e-bike back from impound. |  |
 | The largest fine, $10,000, was for not having insurance on a vehicle. Another for almost $1,000 was for driving with a suspended licence. The Highway Traffic Act does not classify e-bikes as motorized vehicles. Drivers don’t need a driver’s licence or insurance. The bike must have pedals and can’t go faster than 42 km/h. Because of the broken pedal the cop had a field day. |  |
| On June 1, Justice of the Peace Nancy Rogers-Bain agreed with Eybel's self-representation and tossed all the charges — except for one, failing to notify the Ministry of Transportation he had changed his address. That fine was for $75. |
