Parisians vote overwhelmingly to banish for-hire electric scooters
Parisians who voted in a citywide referendum Sunday overwhelmingly chose to banish for-hire electric scooters — up till now a ubiquitous presence — from the French capital’s streets.
The 15,000 mini-machines, which have divided public opinion, are now expected to vanish from central Paris at the end of August when the city’s contracts with the three operators expire.
The simple question asked of voters in a citywide mini-referendum Sunday was: “For or against self-service scooters in Paris?”
The result wasn’t close, but turnout was extremely low. City Hall said that slightly more than 103,000 people voted, with 89% rejecting e-scooters and just 11% supporting them.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo hailed the consultative referendum as a success and said its outcome was “very clear.”
“There will no longer be any self-service scooters in Paris from Sept. 1,” she said.
Paris is cleaning up mountains of trash and debris from its streets as striking sanitation workers return to work after protests over pension changes.
The vote had been open to all of Paris’ 1.38 million registered voters, but the turnout of just 7.4% has been criticized by the scooter companies.
“This unprecedented referendum ... was heavily impacted by very restrictive voting methods. This led to an extremely low turnout, heavily skewed towards older age groups, which has widened the gap between pros and cons,” said a joint statement from Lime, Dott and Tier.
“It is a step back for sustainable transport in Paris ahead of the 2024 Olympics,” it added.
Scattered around Paris, easy to locate and hire with a downloadable app, and relatively cheap, the scooters are a hit with tourists who love their speed and the freedom they offer.
The pension plan raises the retirement age in France from 62 to 64 despite weeks of protests across the country against it.
In the five years since their introduction, following the introduction of shared cars and shared bicycles, for-hire scooters have also built a following among some Parisians who don’t want or can’t afford their own but like the option to avoid the Metro and other public transportation.
But many Parisians complain that e-scooters are an eyesore and a traffic menace, and the micro-vehicles have been involved in hundreds of accidents, some fatal.
Hidalgo and some of her deputies campaigned to banish the “free-floating” rental flotilla — so called because scooters are picked up and dropped off around town at their renters’ whim — on safety, public nuisance and environmental cost-benefit grounds before the capital hosts the Olympic Games next year.
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