Parisians were offered the chance to vote in a mini-referendum to give their view on self-service scooters, and 89 per cent of those who took part said they were against them.
While they offer a mode of transport to locals and tourists alike — and a relief from driving or using public transport — opponents call them an eyesore and a traffic nuisance.
Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo has pledged to follow up on the wishes of those who voted, with all eyes set to be on the French capital when next year’s Olympics comes around.
Trials in England have been running since July 2020, with three e-scooter operators holding contracts with Transport for London until September. These rentals are the only legal way to ride an e-scooter on a public highway.
However, increasing numbers of injuries and deaths from incidents involving e-scooters create cause for concern over their continued use.
Should London follow Paris and ban e-scooters? Let us know in the comments or on our Instagram for your chance to be featured on the Evening Standard website.
Last week we asked: Do you back the move to reduce speed limits across London?
kirstina_michalaeq commented on Instagram to object: “No it’s obvious what the government are trying to do. They want it for the wealthy and no one else. Tax the poor and working class to use it and make it so unworkable!”
pete ealing posted in the comments: “20 mph limits are there to protect the twerps who walk into the road looking at their phones.”
StevieDee offered their take: “Of course. It’s a no-brainer in safety gains, but the fact it’s taken so long to happen and only on a select few roads is a shocking indictment of the car-brained government’s and local authorities’ unwillingness to take road violence seriously.
“The obvious next step is the introduction of blanket 20mph speed limits across all urban areas. Enforcement is a difficult issue, so to prevent drivers treating these limits as optional, depending on how they feel, compliance can be enforced through mandatory speed limiting technology in every vehicle. No one needs to speed except emergency service vehicles.
“There also needs to be a shake up of the entire ‘road safety’ industry. It isn’t right that it’s funded in large part by the motor industry and works harder to protect that than vulnerable road users.”
