Paris to ban electric scooters

The referendum took place on April 2. On the website of the city of Paris, the percentage of city residents voting to ban electric scooters fluctuated from 85.77 to 91.77% in the 20 districts that announced the results.

"We are very happy. We have been fighting for this for more than four years," said Arnaud Kielbasa, co-founder of the charity Apacauvi, which represents victims of accidents caused by electric scooters.

“All Parisians say they are very nervous, whether they are walking on the sidewalk or crossing the street. They have to look all around,” Mr Kielbasa added. It is understood that Mr Kielbasa’s wife and infant daughter were hit by an electric scooter rider.

According to AFP , since taking office in 2014, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has been a champion of cycling and other zero-emission forms of transport. Since 2018, Parisians have been able to register for electric scooters via smartphone apps.

However, after criticism of the way it was implemented, Paris cut back to just three operators in 2020, signing three-year contracts with them, requiring a maximum speed of 20km/h and mandatory parking areas. The current contracts run until September.

For their part, operators of this type of vehicle have also added other regulations, including checking that users must be 18 years of age or older, attaching vehicle plates so that police can identify traffic violators, and limiting the vehicle to only one person.

However, these measures do not seem to convince people when according to statistics, in 2021, in France, 24 people died in accidents involving scooters, including 1 in Paris. In 2022, Paris recorded 459 accidents involving electric scooters and similar vehicles, including 3 fatal cases.

According to AFP , although the April 2 referendum is not mandatory, Mayor Hidalgo said he will follow the majority of people's opinions.

The move comes as many other cities around the world are tightening regulations on electric scooters.

The Canadian city of Montreal banned all electric scooters for rental or personal use in 2020, while the Danish capital Copenhagen banned electric scooters in 2020, then reinstated them with stricter regulations.

Minh Hoa (t/h according to Vietnam+, Tuoi Tre Online)

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