The locals in Paris have been complaining about the issues that come with the use of e-scooters in the streets. The final decision has been made, and the majority of registered voters decided on the ban on electric scooters in the city.
Electric Scooter-Free Paris
Over 103,000 voters decided on the fate of e-scooters in the city, to which more than 89%opted for the ban on the rental vehicle. However, the number of people who voted only accounts for 7.5% of all the registered voters.
Regardless of the small percentage of people who participated, the outcome is still valid, and rental electronic scooters will soon be taken off the streets. Privately-owned scooters will not be affected by this decision, according to Gizmodo.
It does, however, affect e-scooter rental businesses such as Line, Dott, and Tier, which has around 15,000 available scooters for rent. The micro-mobility vehicles are voted out due to the problems it has caused over the time it has been widely used.
A law was passed in 2019 which requires people who ride e-scooters to wear clothing that is easily spotted and follow the way in which traffic is flowing. This, however, was not enough as many accidents and even deaths still occurred.
Paris' mayor Anne Hidalgo mentioned that although the poll was merely a public consultation and that it was nonbinding, she was still "committed to respecting the results of the vote," according to The New York Times.
This means that the businesses that run the scooter rentals will no longer have their contracts renewed. With that being said, contracts will expire by the end of August, which means that rental e-scooters will be taken off the streets by September 1st.
Read Also : Electric Scooters May Soon be Banned in Paris
Why the Parisians Wanted the Scooter Gone
Residents of the city complained about the electric scooters contributing to traffic, blocking the sidewalks for people who are walking, and posing a risk to them ask well. Implementing rules about parking wherein scooter renters would be fined if not followed did not help matters.
The national road safety department of France, Sécurité Routière recorded 570 serious injuries caused by e-scooters or similar vehicles, along with 34 deaths in 2022. Even Paris' mayor called the rental vehicles a "nuisance."
There was also the issue of the electric scooters being scattered due to some of them being dockless, and renters not parking them properly. Some were thrown across roadways and ended up in the Seine.
It didn't help that there have been reckless users as well, with reports of two people riding one scooter at a time. Riders are also more prone to fatal accidents, which is what happened to a man who was hit by a van which resulted in his passing back in 2019.
Back in 2022, an accident involving the rental transportation mode happened in Rome, Italy, wherein American tourists damaged the city's Spanish steps, which is a historical and cultural site. This cost €25,000 in damages, according to reports.
Mayor Hidalgo expressed that Parisians who spoke overwhelmingly spoke out against the self-service scooters and that with her team, they will follow through with the decision of the voters as she promised.
