Paris Considers Ban on Electric Scooter Rentals Following Series of Fatal Accidents

7 Deaths in 2020, 22 in 2021... Recent Collisions with Large Trucks
Kickboards Left Unattended Damage Aesthetics and Obstruct Passage... Pedestrians Threatened on Sidewalks

[Image source=Pixabay]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] As cases of deaths from riding electric scooters surge in Paris, France, city authorities are considering measures to drastically reduce their usage.

On the 17th (local time), according to the British Guardian, Emmanuel Gr?goire, Deputy Mayor of Paris, stated in an interview with AFP that the city authorities are discussing whether to ban electric scooter rental services. Deputy Mayor Gr?goire mentioned that Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, is leaning towards suspending the electric scooter rental services.

Electric scooters in Paris have been very popular as an alternative means of transportation to navigate through congested traffic conditions, being easy to carry and convenient to store. However, as accidents involving electric scooters have increased recently and threatened pedestrian safety, negative views have emerged.

In Paris, seven people died in electric scooter-related accidents in 2020, and 22 people died last year. Recently, there was also an accident where a person riding an electric scooter died after colliding with a large truck.

Additionally, cases of scooters being carelessly abandoned in parks or along the Seine River, damaging the scenery or obstructing passage, have continued. Some riders have also frequently been criticized for ignoring traffic laws and riding electric scooters on sidewalks, endangering pedestrian safety.

The city authorities ordered electric scooter rental companies to come up with countermeasures last September and announced that if the problems are not resolved, they would terminate the rental service contracts.

Several years ago, Paris limited electric scooter rental companies to three: DotT, Tier, and Lime, and capped the number of rentable scooters at 15,000. In November last year, the city also restricted the speed of electric scooters to 10 km/h in about 700 locations, including major tourist spots.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.