Parisians voted overwhelmingly this Sunday to ban rental scooters from the city. However, the local referendum organized by the city council of the French capital had a very low turnout. Only 103,000 of the 1.3 million people registered for the consultation cast their votes. It is the first major capital to decide to remove these new vehicles from its streets.
The debate over whether or not to ban them has sparked passion on both sides in recent months, with arguments often repeated in other cities around the world. The result is not legally binding, but the mayor, socialist Anne Hidalgo, had promised to respect the result. If it keeps its promise, the City of Light, one of the first to open up to this type of mobility, must therefore start on September 1st without these vehicles.
“I promised to respect the result of the vote,” emphasized Hidalgo, city councilor since 2014, when she cast her vote in one of the city’s 21 voting centersas reported by the local press. Polling stations opened at 9:00 a.m. and closed at 7:00 p.m. The question was: “For or against rental scooters?” Three companies currently operate in the capital, US Lime, French Dott and German Tier, with a combined fleet of 15,000 units. His contract ends on August 31, 2023.
Hidalgo, whose term ends in 2026, has for months positioned himself against scooters, which he believes are dangerous, unecological (due to the short lifespan of their lithium batteries) and sources of conflict in public spaces. In order to settle the debate and make a decision about his future, he decided at the end of January to organize a consultation so that Parisians could express themselves. The vote does not affect electric scooters owned by private individuals who can continue to use them.
A controversial type of mobility
Rental scooters appeared in Paris in 2018 when more than 12 operators offered their services. Since then, the devices have become widespread, sometimes causing friction with pedestrians, motorists, and cyclists. While for some capital city dwellers they represent convenient, inexpensive transportation at any time, others see them as dangerous vehicles that cause accidents and chaos in public spaces. A new way of getting around the city, but one that has divided and created tensions, as reflected in the vote itself.
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“I think there are too many people on the sidewalks using scooters. Often they say they don’t go out on the street because there are cobblestones and it bothers them, but I think it’s dangerous,” said Mathieu De Beaucorps, 46, after voting against the vehicles. Eva Teriipaia, 35, also voted against it. “Honestly, I see that scooters are not the ones who respect the transit code the most. The vote was an opportunity to finally express that you are against it,” he explained at the exit of a polling station in the center of the capital.
Thomas Guignard, on the other hand, voted to keep her. “I think they’re a good way to have less pollution, fewer cars and fewer people on the subway,” said the 48-year-old. “This is about better regulation and learning to better use them all together,” he added. Adrien Busser, 25, agrees: “I use them, I like them, I understand people who vote against them, but I think it’s important to enforce more rules,” he stressed.
However, the young man lamented the lack of information about the vote. “I think most of the people who vote are the ones who are angry and that’s why they want to vote more and voted against. But there are many young people who ride scooters a lot and don’t know there was a referendum,” he said.
He is not the only one who has criticized the way the consultation was organised. Both its critics and the three companies that offer the service have criticized the fact that it was not possible to vote online or by proxy, which does not favor voting by the youngest, the main users of the devices.
Attempt to soothe criticism
Fearing being kicked out of town, operators launched a campaign to encourage their users to vote, using the hashtag #SauveTaTrott (save your scooter, in French) and sometimes with the help of local influencers. A few months ago, operators also announced new measures to reassure local authorities, such as:
Local authorities had already issued a number of regulations. Since June 2019, scooters have been considered a “motorized means of personal transport” within the meaning of the Road Traffic Act. Its speed is limited to 10 km/h and 20 km/h in certain areas. In the event of an infringement, the fine can be up to 1,500 euros. Vehicles that can only have one person in them are also not allowed to drive in public parks and on the sidewalk. The minimum age for their use is 12 years and they must be parked in the marked places. However, according to the city council, these measures are not enough.
In 2022 in Paris, more than 400 accidents involving this type of vehicle resulted in 3 deaths and 459 injuries, according to the police. The balance has been increasing for three years.
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