Paris’ Ban on e-Scooter

Paris, the city of love, is known for its beauty and charm. The city’s streets are filled with tourists and locals alike, with many of them relying on rental e-scooters to navigate the city. However, with the recent Paris e-scooter referendum, the city has decided to ban rental e-scooters by the end of August 2023.

Referendum Results and Ban Details

The Paris e-scooter referendum revealed that 89% of voters supported the ban, with a turnout of 7.46% of registered voters. The ban will only affect rental e-scooters, and private owners of e-scooters will not be impacted. The ban will come into effect by the end of August 2023, with authorities urging companies to remove their vehicles from the streets as soon as possible.

The referendum is expected to affect the users, employees, and residents of the city. It is predicted to cause a significant loss of revenue for e-scooter rental companies and force them to lay off staff.

Measures to Reduce Dependence on Private Cars

Paris has introduced several measures to reduce its dependence on private cars, including bike lanes, e-bike rentals, public transportation, and e-scooter rentals. These measures have been successful in reducing traffic on Paris’ roads, with a 33% drop reported between mid-2012 and mid-2022.

Health Risks Associated with E-scooters

The French academy of medicine has described e-scooters as a “true public health problem.” Between 2021 and 2022, there were 516 accidents involving “motorized personal transport devices” in Paris. These accidents were caused by poor parking, reckless driving, lack of safety, serious injuries, multiple people riding on the same vehicle, conflict with other road users, and e-vehicles dumped in water basins.

E-scooter Bans in Other Cities

Paris isn’t the first to impose ban on e-scooters. In 2016, Barcelona partially banned e-scooters in historic parts of the city. In London, privately owned e-scooters are not legal for use on public roads. In Rome, an American tourist caused €25,000 worth of damage to the Spanish Steps with an e-scooter in May.

New Rules in Brussels

Brussels had imposed new rules for e-scooters last summer. These include a 20 km/h speed limit on roads, an eight km/h limit on pedestrian areas, and a ban on riding on sidewalks.

Month: Current Affairs – April, 2023

Category: International / World Current Affairs