In a nutshell: You’ll have to tough it on foot – or perhaps lease a motorcycle – in your subsequent tour of The Metropolis of Mild. Almost 90 p.c of votes solid in a current referendum have been in favor of banning battery-powered scooters within the French capital. It’s a sizable margin however maybe the numbers reveal that most individuals didn’t appear to care in some way. Of town’s 1.38 million registered voters, solely about 103,000 participated within the vote.
In keeping with the BBC, Paris was one of many first main cities to undertake e-scooter leases however it could appear as most imagine they’ve accomplished extra hurt than good. The publication cited mounting issues over reckless driving of scooters and the truth that many riders don’t put on helmets. Others took difficulty with parked scooters cluttering up parks and different public areas, and taking on areas sometimes reserved for vehicles or bikes. Individuals as younger as 12 can legally lease an e-scooter in Paris, the BBC famous.
Now, Paris is the primary main European metropolis to show in opposition to the stylish mobility aids.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who supported the ban, introduced the vote again in January. “I am dedicated to respecting the selection of voters, purely and easily,” the mayor mentioned, including that scooter leases have been each costly and the reason for a lot of accidents.
Three of town’s largest scooter rental suppliers – Tier, Dott and Lime – leveraged their attain on social media to attempt to get youthful voters out to the polls. They even supplied free rides to voters on voting day however clearly, the advertising push didn’t have a lot of an affect on voter turnout.
It’s value mentioning that the referendum solely included e-scooter leases, and that privately owned two-wheeler scooters weren’t concerned.
Hidalgo advised The Washington Publish that Paris will ban self-service scooter leases beginning September 1, which is in the future after town’s present contract with operators expires.