Paris: Electric scooters available for rent were banned in the French capital Paris on Friday. It is the first city in Europe to completely ban rented scooters from its streets. Protests have been taking place since April to remove e-scooters from the streets of Paris. Because the pedestrians had to face a lot of trouble. The people voted to grant their demand, with an overwhelming majority to remove scooters from Paris. However, many people are unhappy with this decision.
According to an AFP report, electric scooters that have been around for five years have led to an increase in road accidents. Pedestrians face a lot of trouble due to haphazard parking on footpaths and four roads of the city. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo herself campaigned against scooters, saying their removal would reduce ‘traffic’. “The traffic jams in Paris are such that it’s safer to take a bus or public transport than a scooter,” said scooter user Anas Eloula.
The biggest problem was safety!
According to a BBC report, there were strict rules for operating these scooters, with heavy fines if not used accordingly. However, the riders were not following the rules. It was traveling at a speed of 27 kmph, which is a very high speed for an e-scooter. At the same time, many riders did not even wear helmets for their safety. At the same time, even children up to 12 years old can legally book it. According to the rules, riders were required to wear clothing that had good visibility. A fine of 135 euros i.e. about 12 thousand rupees was levied for riding in the opposite direction of traffic. A fine of 1500 euros i.e. about 1.3 lakh rupees was imposed for not following the speed limit.
Where will the street e-scooters go now?
Now the companies that make the e-scooters – Lime, Tier and Dots – are gradually taking their 15,000 scooters off the roads, planning to send them to Europe and other cities after repair and maintenance work. The California-based company will ship its scooters to Lille in northern France, London, Copenhagen and several German cities, while Dots will go to Belgium and Tel Aviv.
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What will people use instead of e-scooters?
The companies hope that instead of scooters, customers will use floating hire cycles, which they already have available. Tire chief Clement Pate said, “We like to look to the future. That is, only a modified version of what the customers will like will be brought.
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Tags: Electric scooter, Paris
First published: September 02, 2023, 10:26 IST