These have not been peaceful months for Paris, which has come under criticism several times because of the murder of young Nahel by the police and, before that, because of the revolt for pension reform wanted by Emmanuel Macron. But the streets of the French capital have also been “disturbed” for months by another conflict of a completely different kind: that between lovers/drivers of scooters and their opponents who are worried about the flow of traffic or the risk of accidents. A diatribe that officially came to an end last April, when a citizens’ referendum, applauded by the population (at least those who went to vote), decided to end the scooter rampage in Paris. The effects of this decision will be visible in a few hours. In fact, the five-year experiment with renting electric scooters that could be parked anywhere and picked up via an app ended on September 1st.
Paris was the first European capital to open up to the two-wheeler market, and now it will be the first to ban it: the last of the city’s 15,000 electric scooters are already loaded onto moving vans, marking the end of an era. The disappearance of two-wheelers leaves an ambivalent memory in public opinion: from an exciting glimpse of progress, they soon became unwelcome guests for many citizens, who usually found them tipped over on the sidewalk or in the street. Inconvenience that increased the stress for pedestrians, but also for drivers and, above all, raised doubts about the real impact of scooters in the fight against the climate crisis.
A multi-year battle
Already three years ago, the Guardian recalls, some complained that two-wheelers had turned the city into a “jungle”: for this reason, Paris decided to intervene and introduce the strictest regulations in the world, limiting the number of operators and monitoring their speed. But it wasn’t enough. Mayor Anne Hidalgo therefore unleashed the heavy artillery and called a referendum on scooters in April. Voter turnout was only 7.5%, but this low percentage left no room for doubt: almost 90% voted for the ban, and the result was hailed by City Hall as a Democratic Direct victory.
The fate of the scooters
A defeat, however, for the rental scooters, which now leave a gap. And it is unclear how it will be filled. The town hall assumes that all users of public transport, who mainly used it to cover short distances, will now rely on the extensive public transport and the expanded cycle path network in Paris. Or in extreme cases, on their legs.
David Belliard, the Green Party’s deputy mayor in charge of transport and public spaces, said: “We know that it is possible to live in a major city without an electric scooter rental system… It is part of the bigger picture of our work, which is to simplify, reassure and To ensure safety.” Clean up the public spaces of Paris. Now the displaced scooters have to look for a new home. Many vehicles are produced by Tier and brought back to Germany or Warsaw, while Lime delivers them to Lille, London, Copenhagen and German cities. Those with the Dott brand will reach Tel Aviv.
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