Parisians to vote on e-scooter ban after wave of deadly crashes

Parisians will be asked to decide the fate of the French capital’s controversial electric rental scooters via a referendum. City authorities are considering banning the

vehicles, which first arrived in 2018 but have been criticised as being dangerous. The issue is “extremely divisive”, Anne Hidalgo, the city’s mayor, told Le Parisien

newspaper. Parisians, she said, will be invited to have their say in a vote on April 2 by answering a simple question: “Should we maintain e-scooter sharing services in

Paris?” The socialist mayor is a vocal opponent of the scooters, which she said have caused too many accidents. She said: “In a consultation I conducted with Parisians

last year, this was a very divisive subject. It causes arguments. My idea would be for it to end. “But I will respect the vote of the Parisians, even if it is contrary to

what I would like.” Critics of the e-scooters said that riders often defy bans on riding on pavements, park them without consideration, abandon them in parks or even toss

them into the Seine river. Last September, city officials warned three operators that it would not renew their licences – which expire in March – if they failed to limit

reckless riding and other “misuses”. In response, the companies came up with a number of suggested improvements, including fitting the scooters with licence plates – making

it easier to track riders running through a red light – or travelling in pairs on the single-person vehicles. Both are common violations. In a rare sign of agreement,

officials from the Right and green parties also supported proposals to tighten regulations.