Nearly 90 percent of Parisians who voted in a referendum spoke against the use of shared electric scooters. This is evident from the numbers of Mayor Anne Hidalgo. You promised to respect the result.
Shared scooters have been part of the Paris street scene since 2018. They are a popular alternative to the car, metro or bike. In the French capital there are about 15,000 for rent via apps.
Since its introduction, the city government has gradually tightened the rules on scooters, setting up special parking areas and limiting the speed limit and the number of service providers. But pedestrians continue to complain about reckless driving, inconvenience, and accidents.
Mayor Hidalgo pushed for a referendum. More than 1.3 million people were allowed to vote, but turnout was as low as expected. Of the just over 103,000 Parisians who cast their ballots on Sunday, 89 percent spoke out against shared scooters.
Hidalgo, who also supports the ban, said he will follow up on the results of the consultation. The contracts of three private operators (Lime, Tier and Dott) that expire on August 31 will not be renewed. Thus, Paris becomes the only European capital that prohibits transportation.
The ban does not affect privately owned electric scooters, of which 700,000 were sold in France last year.
Earlier, the French government had already decided to ban electric scooters for anyone under the age of fourteen. Fines for e-step violations will also increase significantly. The government hopes this will reduce the inconvenience. Transportation has become very popular in a short time, but it also arouses resistance. The number of fatalities and serious injuries due to electric scooter accidents has increased dramatically.
