E-scooter rider knocks over an elderly woman
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The Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo has invited Parisians to vote in April on whether electric scooter rental trials should be permanently banned in the city. Ms Hidalgo announced the referendum in an interview with Le Parisen newspaper and said while she supported a ban, residents should be given the final say on the “extremely divisive” issue. But do you think UK cities should follow? Vote in our poll.
The French capital has around 15,000 rental e-scooters in operation from three companies – Lime, Dott and Tier – with some 400,000 monthly users. The scooters have been praised as a more environmentally friendly form of personal transportation but users have been blamed for riding on pavements, parking without consideration and leaving them unattended.
Ms Hidalgo said residents of Paris would be asked “a very simple question” in the referendum planned for April 2: “Do we or don’t we continue with free-floating rental scooters?”
Paris is currently the only major European city asking residents about e-scooter trials but their suitability on the road has been questioned in the UK. The English county of Kent has banned the use of e-scooters following a two-year trial in Canterbury over safety concerns.
The UK Government launched a pilot scheme in London in 2021 with some 1.7 million trips made. But the Department for Transport records shows e-scooters were involved in 1,280 collisions across the UK in 2021 with 1,359 casualties and nine deaths.
Privately-owned e-scooters are still prohibited but in May 2024 the UK is due to decide if e-scooters are suitable for use on public highways.
So what do YOU think? Should UK cities follow Paris in holding a vote on whether to ban e-scooters? Vote in our poll and leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
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