Scooter companies say they are investing in safety. Lime is working on sidewalk detection technology, while Dott says it’s up to police to better enforce existing rules. Tier caps the speed limit of its scooters at 15 kilometers per hour for users’ first 15 trips, says Erwann Le Page, the company’s public policy director for Western Europe.
Dupas’ complaint resonates with pedestrians across Europe. But for me who drives in Paris, the appeal of the sidewalk is strong. It seems safer there, away from traffic. On the narrow streets of Paris, my scooter mixes with a dizzying assortment of cars, bikes, buses, vans and mopeds. I feel exposed, like the balance of power is off. Motorists are enclosed in protective metal frames, while I only have a pogo stick between me and the traffic. When I come to a three-lane road with rushing traffic, I get off and walk. I want to get to my next stop alive.
Scooter supporters complain that the way the vote was organized works against them. During my stay in Paris, I only saw one poster announcing the referendum. Although an Ipsos poll funded by Tier, Lime and Dott found that 70 percent of respondents wanted to keep scooters in the city, advocates worry about turnout. “There are many more people who do not use scooters than people who use them, so the vote against risks being in the majority,” estimates Stéphane Kaminka, a 56-year-old producer who plans to vote for.
The Escooter companies also claim that there will be too few voting booths. “There will be a voting center for the 15th constituency, which is the size of Bordeaux,” complains Nicolas Gorse, technological director of the Franco-Dutch escooter company Dott. To top it off, the referendum will take place on the same day as the Paris marathon.
For Gorse, scooters are important in helping Paris build a transport system where people have the freedom to choose between different alternatives to the car. “We [the French] “We’re not Dutch,” he says, referring to the fact that the Netherlands has linked its green transition almost exclusively to bicycle travel. In France, the crossover between scooters and cyclists is low, he says, citing research that shows only 12% of scooter users would have used a bike if a scooter wasn’t available. “We have to respect the fact that in some cases people prefer to have a standing position on the scooter rather than the sitting position on a bike.”
If I had to choose, I would probably describe myself as a cycling enthusiast. But as I ride my scooter down the iconic Rue de Rivoli in Paris, I see the appeal of converting to scooters. During the pandemic, this thoroughfare went from a busy traffic artery to serene, segregated bike lanes. Without the hassle of cars, scooters offer a completely different experience. My grip on the handle begins to loosen. This is where I realize the problem isn’t with the electric scooters; that’s all the rest. It is the coexistence of scooters and cars that puts users in danger and pushes them onto the sidewalk, where they threaten pedestrians.
Like many other cities in Europe, Paris finds itself at a point of transition. The current mayor, Anne Hidalgo, is campaigning for fewer cars on the city’s streets. But to me, a ban on scooters seems like the antithesis of that mission. It would rather be a victory for the automobile.
