Parisians vote for a ban on rental scooters
The turnout was low, but the result was clear: the residents of Paris voted to ban the rental of e-scooters.
Mayor Hidalgo spoke of a “victory for local democracy”.
Parisians have voted by a large majority to ban e-scooter rentals in the city. In a citizen survey on Sunday, 89 percent were in favor of abolishing rental scooters. Eleven percent voted to keep the scooters in the French capital, according to the city administration.
However, only 7.46 percent of the approximately 1.3 million residents registered in the voter lists took part in the vote. Irrespective of this, Paris considers the outcome of the citizen survey to be binding.
“A Victory for Local Democracy”
“The citizens have spoken out clearly against the e-scooters,” said Mayor Anne Hidalgo in the town hall. “From September 1st, there will be no more scooter rentals in Paris. This is a victory for local democracy.” Despite the weak response the survey found in the city, the mayor said it was impressive that around 100,000 residents turned out to vote.
Hidalgo, who initiated the survey, made no secret of the fact that she would rather see the scooters banned from the city. In any case, the use of private e-scooters should not be restricted.
Providers are likely to resist
Three rental companies offer around 15,000 e-scooters in Paris, with which tourists and locals are often quite careless. There are accidents and chaos on the sidewalks and calls for a ban. The license for the landlords expires at the end of August.
Providers should not accept the end of e-scooters in the metropolis of Paris without resistance. You had already expressed concern that there would also be bans elsewhere.
