Residents of Paris have voted en masse against the electric rental scooters in the city by almost 90 percent. Some 1.6 million people were allowed to vote, but turnout was low. That made no difference to the result: it was a binding referendum.
The shared scooters are a popular alternative to car, metro or bicycle in the French capital. There are about fifteen thousand for rent via apps. The scooters can be rented by children from the age of twelve.
Since 2018, the city council has gradually tightened the rules for scooters. This was done, among other things, by creating special parking zones. The maximum speed and the number of providers were also limited.
Despite the stricter rules, pedestrians continued to complain about reckless driving, nuisance and accidents. Several people were killed and hundreds injured.
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo is in favor of a ban on electric scooters and sees the means of transport as a “source of tension and concern”.
The election does not affect privately owned electric scooters. 700,000 of these vehicles were sold in France last year.
