Photo: FreepikParis residents voted for a ban of electric scooters rentals on its streets in a non-binding referendum on Sunday. The city administration said it would accept the results of the citizens' declaration. About 90,000 people voted, and the results were published on the official website of the city of Paris, reports ekapija.com.
The vote was called by Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, who is concerned about security. She highlighted that she would respect the results of the vote, regardless of the turnout. AFP reported that she could terminate the contracts with the three current operators until August 31, 2023.
The mayor of Paris said that the vote was a great democratic success for the city of Paris, adding: "The Parisians who voted, declared against self-service scooters. Their very clear message becomes our roadmap. Together with my team, I will follow their decision as I promised."
Paris became one of the first major cities in Europe to introduce the use of e-scooters in 2018. There were several scooter rental operators in the city, and in 2020, control of these machines was introduced, including verification of age and license plates.
Cities around the world are tightening regulations on e-scooters, limiting their speed and where they can be parked.
Last year, 459 accidents with e-scooters and similar vehicles were registered in Paris, in which three people died.
Electric scooters, accessed via smartphone apps, have been in use in Paris since 2018, but after complaints about their chaotic deployment, Paris reduced the number of operators in 2020.
Also, the city gave the operators a three-year contract, requiring the speed of the scooters to be limited to 20 kilometers per hour. Parking spaces for those vehicles have also been introduced. The current contracts last until September 2023.
Source: eKapija
