2023-04-20 17:16:11
UK Daily News with John Hare
Paris votes to ban rental e-scooters
Why did Parisians start voting?
Almost 90% of votes cast on Sunday favoured a ban the battery-powered devices, official results showed.
The referendum was called in response to a rising number of people being injured and killed on e-scooters in the French capital. Paris was one of the first cities to adopt the electric vehicles - but critics argue they were causing more harm than good.
There was growing concern with the way some people were driving the scooters - weaving through traffic, dodging pedestrians on pavements, and getting up to speeds of 17mph (27km/h). Riders often did not wear helmets and children as young as 12 could legally hire the e-scooters.
There was also criticism that groups of parked e-scooters were cluttering pavements.
What about fines?The pro-cycling Socialist leader supported a ban and announced the vote in January to allow the people to decide. "It's very expensive - five euros (£4.40; $5.40) for 10 minutes - it's not very sustainable, and above all, it's the cause of a lot of accidents," she added.
Fearing that their mainly young customers would not turn out to vote, the three main operators - Lime, Dott and Tier - used social media to urge people to vote in their favour. They also offered free rides all day on Sunday.
New laws introduced in 2019 - including a requirement to wear high visibility clothing and not ride against the traffic flow - imposed a fine of €135 (£116; $146), and up to €1,500 for going over the speed limit.
Meanwhile, dumped scooters had also become a significant problem in Paris, with many being found in the city's parks and squares.
A ban on parking the dockless scooters on pavements largely went unheeded despite the threat of a €35 fine.
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