Paris is throttling the velocity of e-scooters, besides on predominant roads

Issued on: 25.11.2021 – 16:22Changed: 11/25/2021 – 4:20 pm

Paris (AFP) – The city of Paris cracked down on the speed of e-scooters on Thursday, saying rented scooters would be limited to 10 kilometers per hour except on main roads and bike paths.

Under pressure from authorities to slow down popular urban vehicles, car rental companies earlier this month designated 700 areas in the capital where scooter speeds would automatically be reduced to little more than walking pace, especially near major tourist attractions such as the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum.

Transport Deputy Mayor David Belliard turned down the proposal, telling AFP that a “Parisian patchwork quilt” could be created that would be difficult for e-scooter users to understand.

Instead, he said the new speed limit would apply to all residential and back roads.

The current speed limit of 20 kilometers per hour will in future only apply to cycle lanes and wider streets that connect Parisian districts, as well as to bus lanes that are already approved for cyclists.

Scooters rented by operators Dott, Tier and Lime in Paris are tracked in real time by geo-location and can be slowed down remotely in certain areas.

The new rules only apply to rentals – AFP

The new rules, which are due to come into effect by mid-December, would only apply to rental scooters, not private ones, Belliard said.

The first reactions from the Parisians were mixed. Marjorie, a luxury store clerk, said the move was “good news for pedestrian safety”.

But one retiree said “that’s still not enough” and told AFP that e-scooters are “extremely dangerous”.

E-scooters were involved in 298 accidents in Paris this year, which left two dead and 329 injured. In 2020 there were 375 accidents and one fatality.

The three operators have since made progress in addressing the often anarchic parking of scooters.

They now require users to take a picture to prove that they have dropped off the scooter in the right place, and have also created a joint 12-person task force that picks up scooters that happen to be left on the street.

© 2021 AFP