Red light on rental of two wheels. In a referendum held yesterday, nearly nine out of ten Parisians voted to ban electric scooters and e-scooters from filling the French capital. First introduced in Paris in 2018, the so-called ‘trottinette’ soon became a nightmare for pedestrians, drivers and cyclists, who often struggled with vehicles driven recklessly and left in the middle of the pavement. The ban will come into effect from September.
accidents
What aroused the anxiety and anger of residents was the growing number of accidents, some of them fatal, such as the accident involving an Italian girl who was run over by a scooter carrying two people while walking along the River Seine two years ago. In 2022 alone, around 500 people were injured in battery-powered vehicles that can be rented through a simple app in Paris. AFP agency recalls that e-scooters across France caused at least 27 deaths in 2022, including 22 in 2021 and 7 in 2020.
referendum
Figures explaining the decision of the mayor of Paris, socialist Anne Hidalgo, to hold a consultative referendum on banning new means of urban mobility, promising to do the will of the people. Citizen one welcomed the outcome of the referendum as “a victory for local democracy” and assured him that from September 1, there will be no more rental scooters on the streets of the capital.
Companies
Operators such as Dott, Lime and Tier tried to lift the ban until the last minute with communication campaigns via social networks to encourage their users to go to the polls. It is estimated that around 15,000 paid electric scooters or scooters are in circulation in the French capital, while the ban is estimated to put 800 jobs at risk.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
