As West Hollywood ponders its future with rental electric scooters, Parisians have voted overwhelmingly to ban them from the streets of the French capital starting Sept. 1, 2023.
The ban will apply to all rental scooters, not just those operated by companies such as Lime and Bird. Road safety campaigners who have long argued that the scooters pose a danger to pedestrians and cyclists see the vote as a victory. Abandoned scooters often block sidewalks and cause tripping hazards, and there have been fatal accidents involving the scooters.
The decision is a setback for scooter companies that have heavily invested in Paris and other cities. These companies argue that the scooters are a safe and convenient way to travel and that the ban is an overreaction to a few accidents. It remains unclear how the ban will affect scooter usage in Paris, as it may lead to an increase in the use of private scooters or a decrease in overall scooter usage.
The ban is part of Paris’s ongoing efforts to regulate the use of electric scooters. In 2020, the city banned the use of scooters on sidewalks and in parks, and has since taken action against companies leaving scooters abandoned on sidewalks. The ban is expected to be monitored closely by other cities around the world facing similar issues.
West Hollywood residents have wrestled with scooters’ place in society ever since they were first allowed under the city’s dockless micromobility pilot program kicked off in 2021. Careless riders have caused major injuries, and improperly parked scooters have proven to be seriously detrimental to disabled and elderly people in WeHo.
West Hollywood City Council recently extended the pilot program while refusing to set the stage for a permanent presence until the sidewalk detection technology promised by the scooter companies is up and running. Mayor Sepi Shyne promised one vocal resident that a citywide poll would be conducted to ascertain interest in keeping electric scooters on WeHo’s roads.
Oh no, you all are learning the wrong lesson from the French🥺. Keep the scooters🛴 and, riot🔥 for a lower retirement age with more benefits😉❗
AS PARIS BURNS OVER RETIREMENT AGE, they ban scooters. Life is weird
Actually it’s rather predictable that capitalist elites would attempt to misdirect and emotionally charge the people’s interests toward petty issues like scooters 🛴 . They certainly DON’T want ANY attention on their attempts to raise the retirement age to an unattainable level or even eliminate worker’s retirement all together. 😱
They won’t be missed. Paris will be as vibrant as always and beautiful again without the garbage and the aggression. Let’s hope this starts a trend worldwide.
We here in WeHo were very graciously offered a phone number to call to report errantly placed scooters and I was gonna be right on that, but don’tcha know, even though I have seen them all over the place I have yet to report one; even the one that was blocking my driveway that I had to get out of my car to move! I suppose deep down I know nothing will change so maybe I think it will hurt less if I hadn’t put any effort into it.
Vive, Paris! The people have spoken through referendum. Any promises of a “poll of residents” in West Hollywood must be viewed through jaundiced eyes as forces like Byers will attempt to include non-residents, and the scientific validity of the polling must be questioned before it gets off the ground. Residents first.
We’ll see what happens with scooters in West Hollywood, but can we put Lime ebikes in a different category? I don’t usually see those scattered around, are safer, and not usually used by tourists looking for a joyride.
What do you think, Mikie? Can we make an exception for bicycles?
I have never mentioned e-bikes. I don’t love them, but right now, they are not part of my ongoing battle! Let’s just hope they only have to ride them on the sidewalk when absolutely necessary, because there is no bike lane.
Yay!
Only one guy uses those e bikes, and he’s always careening down the sidewalk terrorizing pedestrians.
Tell me again why bicycles have motors?
it was always a stupid idea. but the morons on the city council pushed it.
I think that Parisians wisely realized that the scooters are not the answer to their traffic problems. They have been causing more problems and they are solving!
I hope that the West Hollywood city Council will be wise enough to make the same decision.
oops…THAN they are solving!