An Ottawa man has been charged twice in the same month for impaired driving — even though he wasn't behind a steering wheel either time.

Instead, the 34-year-old man was riding an e-bike, or electric bicycle, Ottawa police said in a news release Wednesday. In addition to two counts of impaired driving, the man was charged with two counts of having a blood alcohol level of over 80 mg in 100 ml of blood. He is to appear in court Sept. 14.

The man was first stopped Aug. 18 after an e-bike was seen swerving in its eastbound lane on West Hunt Club Road, police said. On Aug. 28, an e-bike was spotted drifting from side to side while travelling south on Greenbank Road. The driver was stopped and found to be the suspect from the first incident, police said.

E-bikes, which are propelled by pedals and electric motors, are allowed on Ontario roads under a three-year pilot project launched in October 2006. They are considered motor vehicles under the Criminal Code of Canada, but anyone over the age of 16 can operate an e-bike and no licence is required.

This means that while anyone stopped and charged with a blood alcohol level over the legal limit receives an automatic driver's-licence suspension, he or she can still legally operate an e-bike, police said.

However, if convicted of impaired driving, over the legal limit, the rider is barred from operating any motor vehicle, including an e-bike, for at least one year.