The World Briefly

April 04, 2023

Au Revoir, Trottinette

France

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Parisians voted overwhelmingly to ban self-service e-scooters from the French capital, a popular transportation mode that has drawn the ire of officials and residents over a rising number of accidents and e-litter, France 24 reported.

Results of the referendum Sunday showed that nearly 90 percent of voters supported the ban on e-scooters, also known as the “trottinette.”

Since their introduction in 2018, the trottinette has become ubiquitous in Paris. Officials billed it as a green alternative to cars and the adoption of e-scooters prompted the creation of new bike lanes in the capital.

Their usage increased in the wake of the pandemic, jumping 90 percent from September 2021 to August 2022. In Paris, each scooter is used an average of 3.5 times each day, the highest rate in Europe.

Still, some noted that their introduction was initially bumpy and public opinion on the electric vehicle shifted amid a rise in accidents.

Last year, nearly 500 people were injured in Paris by e-scooters. Deaths among e-scooter drivers and pedestrians hit by them also increased: Across France, there were 27 trottinette-related deaths in 2022, compared with 22 in 2021 and seven in 2020.

The city’s Mayor Anne Hidalgo also lamented that the vehicles were “not very ecological,” noting that they sometimes get damaged and are “left lying wherever.”

Before the referendum, Paris officials and e-scooter rental companies tried to regulate the issue by putting caps on the number of vehicles, introducing speed limits and designated parking areas, and also trying to prevent the practice of two riders on one vehicle.

Still, despite the increasing dislike of e-scooters, citywide bans are uncommon. Barcelona is one of the few European cities that banned self-service e-scooters entirely.

This story originally appeared in the April 04, 2023 newsletter, Israeli Spring.