France
Paris lets residents vote on the future of e-scooters
E-scooters on the Place du Trocadero. photo
© Christian Boehmer/dpa
In many large cities they are now part of the cityscape, but e-scooters are often parked carelessly and used recklessly. In Paris, the citizens should decide whether it stays that way.
Parisians can vote this spring on whether to keep e-scooter rentals in the city or abolish them. A citizens’ survey should be organized on April 2, Mayor Anne Hidalgo said in an interview with the newspaper “Le Parisien” on Saturday.
Three rental companies offer around 15,000 e-scooters in Paris, with which tourists and locals are often quite careless. There are accidents and chaos on the sidewalks and calls for a ban. The license for the landlords expires in February.
If it is up to her, the rental of e-scooters in Paris will end, said the mayor. E-scooters are not environmentally friendly and the company’s employees are not adequately protected. The topic is controversial. In the end, however, she wanted to respect the vote of the Parisians. The use of private e-scooters should not be restricted, said Hidalgo.
At the beginning of December, the scooter rental companies tightened the rules to avert an impending ban. Users are required to scan their ID upon registration so only adults can use the scooters and hooligans can be more easily identified and banned from rentals. This should also make it easier to track traffic violations with the scooters, which should also be given license plates.