Les Parisiens interdisent les trottinettes électriques
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Paris France, in a major setback for micromobility last Friday, Paris became the first European capital to outlaw e-scooter rentals. The ban, which doesn’t apply to privately owned scooters, was the result of a referendum this spring. An overwhelming 90%of voters voted for the ban.
Five years ago, Paris was one of the first major cities to allow these so-called micromobility devices, which went on to terrorize pedestrians and perplex city officials all over the world.
It remains to be seen whether Paris will be a bellwether, too, of their demise. The city has its own unique car culture: Its narrow sidewalks have picturesque bollards to prevent over-caffeinated drivers from mowing down the flâneurs.
But the e-scooter debates in other cities have been similar. On the one hand, scooters for grownups are far better for the planet than a car and take up a lot less precious space in dense urban environments. And they’re fun — that’s why we give scooters to children.
On the other hand, people drive them recklessly, often on the sidewalk and sometimes drunk, and then just leave them wherever when their ride is over. To paraphrase Sartre, hell is other people on micromobility solutions.
In a way, they feel like an entirely appropriate technology for right now.
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Isn’t it “sacre bleu”?
LOL
Well, at least 2 people per day are being hit by e-bikes in NYC, the riders of which have no insurance to cover damages to pedestrians. Surely these e-bikes pose more of a danger than the scooters and should be regulated in some way? Try and take a safe walk or bicycle ride on the Saddle River Pathway these days – there is a constant stream of reckless e-bike riders coming at you without slowing down or any other consideration.