NORTH BAY -- Equipped with lights and sirens, police in North Bay say their new electric bikes will allow officers to respond to calls quicker.
The pair of bikes each cost roughly $7,000 and have been donated by Farquhar Chrysler and Cheapskates.
Officers say the bikes can travel up to 42 km/hr and will allow them to access trails and isolated walkways.
“Now we have a bike that our members are able to drive at an efficient speed, arrive at a call for service whether it’s urgent, emergent or otherwise in a reasonable time frame so that they are not fatigued going the long distance,” said North Bay Police Chief Scott Tod.
Officer say the bikes will come in handy, especially when travelling up hills.
“The response times are incredible,” said Const. Braeden Ransom. “We are able to get to calls and be effective when we get there. We’re not winded. I went up Algonquin the other day in 15 seconds and was able to get off and still have communication with someone, so it’s been a huge asset to us.”
Ransom says he hopes patrolling on E-bikes will also help build good rapport within the community.
“When we’re out on the bikes, we’ve been stopped probably in a shift 10 times (from people) just thanking us for being out there,” says Ransom. “It’s a nice reminder that people in the community actually do want us to be out there.”
This spring, the North Bay Police Service re-launched its bicycle patrol program, joining Toronto and Ottawa as one of the few police services to have officers patrolling on E-bikes.
