Paris, the city that pioneered the introduction of rental electric scooters in 2018 as a sustainable urban transport solution, has now brought into effect its ban on e-scooters. Earlier in the year, Parisians voted against having the e-mobility vehicles available in the city.
This is due to the unexpected rise in popularity and subsequent surge in crashes. In 2022 alone, three people died, and 459 others sustained injuries in e-scooter collisions in Paris.
A democratic process
The public consultation that led to this decision gauged sentiment around e-scooters from Parisians. In a clear response, the ban garnered between 85.77% and 91.77% of the votes across the 20 districts of Paris. While this vote is technically non-binding, city authorities have pledged to honor the outcome.
Paris’ mayor, Anne Hidalgo has firmly supported the ban on e-scooters while defending bike-sharing and EV solutions in the past. In an interview with Agence France-Presses, she expressed her concern that these self-service scooters had become a source of tension and nuisance for Parisians. She believes the elimination of e-scooters would contribute to improving public spaces.
The ban will not affect shared e-bike services. It also won’t prohibit people from whizzing through Paris on privately-owned scooters.
According to a Dott representative speaking to TNW, the company successfully removed its fleet of 5,000 e-scooters from the streets and pathways of Paris by August 21st.
These e-scooters are now slated for relocation to areas where Dott has identified strong demand, including Belgium and Tel Aviv. Tier, on the other hand, intends to repatriate the majority of its scooters to either Germany or Warsaw. At the same time, Lime plans to transport its scooters to various cities, including Lille, London, Copenhagen, and several locations within Germany.
‘Twice as safe as e-bikes’
A study conducted in France in 2023 found that e-scooters were twice as safe as e-bikes, another service available in Paris.
“It concluded that e-scooter riders had been involved in twice as fewer accidents (26%) than users of the Parisian public bike-sharing scheme, Vélib (51%),” Zagdaily reports. “The report also showed that 19% of trips made by e-scooters would have otherwise been made by a motorised mode – either a personal car, moped, taxi or ride hailing service.”
“First, in the environmental impact of our industry, with one in five scooter rides that replace a car trip. Considering the volume we handle in Paris, this is a massive contribution to the fight against pollution,” said Erwann Le Page, Tier’s director of public policy for Western Europe. “Secondly, on safety, as scooters are twice as safe as shared bikes.”
The e-scooter situation
Before the ban, Paris boasted nearly 15,000 e-scooters from companies such as Lime, Dott, and Tier. Critics argue that e-scooter riders routinely disregard road rules and frequently ride on pavements. Additionally, these vehicles are often haphazardly parked or discarded in the River Seine.
In a tragic incident in June 2021, a 31-year-old Italian woman lost her life after being struck by an e-scooter carrying two passengers while strolling along the Seine.
Suzon Lambert, a 50-year-old Parisian teacher, told The Guardian, “Scooters have become my biggest enemy. I’m scared of them. Paris has become a sort of anarchy. There’s no space anymore for pedestrians.”
Another Parisian voiced their frustration, saying, “It’s dangerous, and people use them badly. I’m fed up.”
Students, in particular, have found e-scooters to be a convenient mode of transport. One student noted, “I don’t live so close to the Métro, so it’s better to go to school on the e-scooter.”
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Marce has contributed tech to various prominent publications since 2018, offering a transparent perspective into the tech industry and its effects on its users. She now spends her time developing insightful content for industry players. You know, when she's not gaming or geeking out about the latest fad.
