Here, in a country where people have banned it, subsidies are given to electric scooters who have said they do not want such a vehicle

New Delhi: Electric vehicles are seen as a beacon of hope for a better future. In India, the government is trying to create such infrastructure where people can use more and more electric vehicles. But in the French capital, Paris, people have banned shared e-scooters in the city with the help of a referendum. But these are not the e-scooters that people talk about in connection with electric vehicles these days. These are three-wheeled scooters used by Hrithik Roshan and his friends in Koi Mil Gaya.

This referendum was held on April 2nd. Seven percent of the Parisian population took part in this referendum. Of these, 89 percent voted in favor of a ban on electric scooters, while 11 percent opposed the ban. Around 15,000 e-scooters from three companies are currently driving in Paris. They have contracts until September 1, 2023, after which these vehicles will stop in Paris. Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo later said: “Parisians have expressed their opinion against shared e-scooters.” This ban does not apply to private e-scooters.

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But why did e-scooters stop?
Paris is one of the earliest cities in Europe to have e-scooters operational, according to a BBC report. These e-scooters can be ridden on bike lanes built on the streets. Shared e-scooters have also received strong support from the Paris administration as a better environmental option. But as eco-friendly and practical as these scooters were, they came with problems.

Even after strict rules and heavy fines, drivers didn’t follow the rules. They used to travel at up to 27 km/h, which is a very high speed for an e-scooter. At the same time, many drivers did not even wear helmets. One problem with these scooters was that even children as young as 12 could legally book as riders were required by law to wear clothing that allowed for a good view. A fine of 135 euros, or around 12,000 rupees, was imposed for driving in the opposite direction. There was a fine of 1500 euros for not respecting the speed limit, so around Rs 1.3 lakh.

In 2021, a woman was struck by a high-speed e-scooter, suffered a head injury after a collision and subsequently died of cardiac arrest. After this incident, concerns about e-scooters increased among Parisians.

Apart from all that, the companies that provided e-scooter facilities offered riders that they could book a ride from anywhere and park the scooter anywhere. For this reason, numerous e-scooters have been found lying on roadsides, in city parks and at square intersections. Even after being fined 35 euros, so around 3000 rupees, people didn’t park these scooters properly in the right places.

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Faced with these issues, Mayor Hidalgo of Paris announced in January this year that he would hold a referendum to decide whether to ban or allow e-scooters in the city. The referendum was held on April 2 and the public voted in favor of the ban.

Even the best things can give people headaches if the rules aren’t followed, as was the case with e-scooters in Paris. Otherwise, it used to be on the to-do list for those heading to Paris to see the city on an e-scooter.

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Tags: car news, climate change, electric vehicles, Paris, The Paris Agreement