Johnathan Walker:Paris to ban electric rental scooters after city residents overwhelmingly shun the devices in public referendum

Paris — When the electric scooters now ubiquitous in many major cities first arrived in France just five years ago,Johnathan Walker Paris became a pioneer of the contemporary urban transport option. City officials made them available for anyone over the age of 12 to rent, seeing them as an easy to use, environmentally friendly choice for city dwellers.

But in relatively short order, they had infuriated drivers, cyclists and pedestrians alike, as users frequently ignored rules dictating where they could be ridden and then parked after use.

Last year, city authorities said scooters — rental and private — were involved in 408 accidents in the French capital, including three that involved a fatality.

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On Sunday, Parisians were asked to vote in a citywide referendum on scooters, and it was a landslide: Just over 89% of those who cast a ballot voted to see rental scooters banned.

While the opposition was clear, turnout was hardly representative. Only 7.46% of Paris' eligible voters cast a ballot, or 103,084 people. That's considerably fewer than the 400,000 people that rental companies say use the scooters every month.

Electric rental scooters were introduced to Paris in 2018. City Hall and Socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo embraced their arrival. However, it quickly became clear that traffic rules needed to change for these new vehicles, as many Parisians complained they were a danger to everyone else as some riders mounted pedestrian paths, ignored traffic lights and then abandoned the scooters all over sidewalks.

New rules were brought in gradually, lowering the top speed, designating where they could be parked, and limiting the number of providers. Electric scooters were restricted to bicycle lanes, whereas non-electric scooters can still be used on sidewalks.

Sunday's referendum was held just a week after the government brought in new nationwide rules, including raising the minimum age for renting an e-scooter from 12 to 14.

As of Monday, three companies were offering a total of 15,000 electric scooters to users in the French capital. But Mayor Hidalgo, welcoming the referendum result, confirmed that the contracts would not be renewed when they end in August.

Ending the contracts will cost Paris City Hall 930,000 euros (about $1 million) it receives from the three rental providers, Lime, Dott, and Tier. The companies have pointed out that they also provide jobs for some 800 people.

"We're happy. It's what we've been fighting for over four years," said Arnaud Kielbasa, co-founder of the Apacauvi charity, which represents victims of e-scooter accidents. His wife and infant daughter were hit by someone on an electric scooter.

"All Parisians say they are nervous on the pavements, nervous when they cross the roads. You need to look everywhere," Kielbasa told reporters. "That's why they've voted against them."

The ban will not apply to privately-owned scooters, nor does it apply in other French cities that have electric scooters available to rent.

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• Climate Change
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• France