Paris: Parisians will be asked to vote to decide the fate of the French capital’s controversial electric rental scooters, mayor Anne Hidalgo said.
Authorities are considering banning the vehicles, which arrived in 2018 but have been criticised as dangerous.
Tourists ride scooters in Rivoli street in Paris, Credit:AP
The issue is “extremely divisive”, Ms Hidalgo told Le Parisien. Parisians, she said, will be invited to have their say in a referendum on April 2 by answering a simple question: “Should we maintain e-scooter sharing services in Paris?”
The socialist mayor is a vocal opponent of the rental scooters, which she says have caused too many accidents.
“In a consultation I conducted with Parisians last year, this was a very divisive subject. It causes arguments. My idea would be for it to end,” she said.
“But I will respect the vote of the Parisians, even if it is contrary to what I would like.”
The e-scooters were introduced in Paris in 2018. Credit:Getty
Critics say users often defy bans on riding on pavements or park without consideration, while some abandon the scooters in parks or even toss them into the River Seine. In September, the capital threatened the three operators with non-renewal of their licences, which expire in March, if they failed to limit reckless riding and other “misuses”.
Operators came up with a number of suggested improvements, including licence plates that would enable easier tracking of riders running a red light or travelling in pairs on the single-person vehicles – both common violations.
Officials from the Right and green parties have also supported tightening regulations. E-scooters have been involved in thousands of accidents – dozens of them fatal – leading to tensions between riders and pedestrians. In 2021, some 6,000 people were injured in the French capital.
The deaths include an octogenarian who flew three metres when hit while crossing the street in 2019. In 2021, a young woman was killed by a scooter while walking along the banks of the Seine with a friend.
Calls for a ban gathered pace after a pianist from the Opera Garnier was knocked over by a rider in 2019, suffering a double fracture to her right arm that prevented her from playing.
That same year, a mother and her seven-week-old daughter were struck at a pedestrian crossing. The child suffered head trauma. London will be watching events in Paris, as rental e-scooters are on a trial until autumn.
Since launching a trial scheme in June of 2021, more than 1.7 million trips have been made in the British capital. In 2021, police recorded more than 510 injuries, with nine deaths reported across England, Scotland and Wales.
While Paris does not have as many e-scooters as some European cities, demand is high among users who praise their convenience, particularly during transport strikes. E-scooters are seen by some as an attractive alternative to overcrowded metros and rental bikes.
The Telegraph, London
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