Paris will on Friday become the first European capital to ban floating electric scooters from its streets, leaving fans desolate but relieving those who loathed their “nuisance” factor.
Residents voted by almost 90 percent in an April referendum to ban the scooters — celebrated as a win for direct democracy by mayor Anne Hidalgo even though turnout was just 7.5 percent.
The ban applies to rental scooters which have been offered by several operators since 2018, although people will still be able to whizz through Paris on privately-owned contraptions.
With complaints of users jostling through pedestrians on pavements or dumping their rides awkwardly at intersections, the city’s 15,000 two-wheeled machines from providers Tier, Lime and Dott had turned into “nuisances” for many Parisians, Hidalgo said at the time.
[This is really interesting because Pensacola just allowed a couple companies to set up downtown 2 years ago, and what a mess. The city council was besieged with complaints and, rather than send them all packing, they did away with the stand-up scooter company’s agreement, and came up with some sort of corralling compromise for the seated scooters they would continue to allow as a change to their “micro-mobility” ordinance. Can you tell we have a new Progressive mayor? ~ Beege]
Join the conversation as a VIP Member