Views: 8 Author: Electrek Publish Time: 2019-06-14 Origin: Electrek
Paris, like many cosmopolitan cities, has also ushered in the electric scooter boom. Last year, thousands of electric scooters flooded the streets of Paris, and the city has begun to limit its expansion. Recently, the Mayor of Paris announced that users will no longer be able to park electric scooters on the sidewalk, and the government will strictly limit the speed of electric scooters.
Electric scooters are everywhere in Paris
As a city with few people and more people, the popularity of electric scooters in Paris has risen sharply.
Because the city is small enough to ride an electric scooter anywhere, but at the same time Paris is big enough that walking is not always the best option.
There are currently 12 electric scooters operating throughout the city in Paris. The report shows that as many as 20,000 electric scooters are in operation throughout the city.
However, the convenience of the electric scooter for the rider is accompanied by the trouble for the non-rider. Streets and sidewalks in Paris are known for their narrowness, and it is often difficult for riders and pedestrians of electric scooters to safely share sidewalk space. This led to the ban on riding an electric scooter on the sidewalk last year. Electric scooters that cannot travel on the sidewalk are forced to walk on the road or on the bicycle lane. But at least until now the electric scooter is still allowed to park on the sidewalk.
Recently, the Mayor of Paris announced a total ban on electric scooters on the sidewalk, including cycling and parking. Electric scooters can now only be parked in parking spaces for cars or motorcycles.
In addition, the mayor also asked electric scooters to limit the city's speed to 20km/h (12mph), while the speed limit is 8km/h (5mph) in areas with high pedestrian traffic.
Both Lime and Bird have complied with this rule, their scooter speed has dropped to 20km/h, and Electrek has provided the following statement.
Statement from Lime:
“Lime decided last weekend to reduce the speed limit of electric scooters in Paris to 20km/h and the speed limit in the pedestrian zone to 8km/h. Lime strongly hopes to maintain a constructive partnership with the municipalities in the city where he operates. Mayor of Paris Lime announced a new response at a press conference last Thursday, and Lime responded quickly, indicating that Lime is committed to working with cities to meet the needs of more and more Parisians. From the year of entering Paris Lime has a long-term vision and is committed to being a responsible new mobile leader.
French Bird Kenneth Schlenk's statement:
“Bird is committed to providing people with a more environmentally friendly alternative to car travel to help make Paris cleaner and more environmentally friendly. More than 300,000 people currently use our services and are estimated to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 800,000 kg. The electric scooter industry has been less than a year since its inception, and we are still learning. With the request of the Mayor of Paris, we immediately implemented new speed limit measures, and we look forward to working with the city so that we can continue to provide many The services that Parisians depend on."
Electrek's view
This requirement of the Mayor of Paris has both merits and drawbacks.
On the one hand, I think electric scooters have made Paris better. When Electrek participated in the Paris Motor Show last year, we rode the Lime electric scooter almost all the way.
When we rode, the electric scooter gave us more fun to explore the city, because we were able to shuttle freely in the city instead of sitting in the back seat of Uber and watching the city through the window.
However, we have also found that bicycle lanes can actually play a role in improving the problem of electric scooters. In some areas there are great bike paths; however, in some areas the cobblestones are paved on the bike paths, making cycling very difficult and we can hardly see the road conditions under strong vibration. There are also many areas where there are no bicycle lanes, so that we are in a dilemma: is it mixed with the car, or is it going to the sidewalk to walk through the pedestrians? (Before the release of the sidewalk ban).
Obviously, no pedestrians want to eat croissants on their way to work, and electric scooters that sometimes reach 25-30km/h are whizzing past. So some rules must be adjusted.
Radical electric scooter protesters expressed their clear attitude. Here is what a Parisian is doing about an electric scooter.
I support the sidewalk ban because the ban is completely understandable. Electric scooters are indeed dangerous to pedestrians.
Although the sidewalk parking ban sounds good in theory, it may be too harsh for everyone to actually operate. The rider will have a hard time finding a scooter that is available. Scooter companies will lose some customers, because inconvenience will prompt more people to choose Uber. What is more, of course, the drivers will be angry when they find that the parking space is occupied by an electric scooter. You know how to find a parking space in a parking lot with a lot of traffic, but how annoying it is to stop the electric scooter?
Next is the strict speed limit. A speed limit of 20km/h is achievable, although this speed has deprived many scooters. However, the 8km/h (5mph) speed limit is very stupid. My walking speed is about 5-6km/h. If riding an electric skateboard can only be a little faster, why should I spend money?
Of course, these laws and restrictions are moving in the right direction, but I am worried that they may be over-restricted. I would rather see the Paris electric scooter charge a higher fee and then use the money to build a better bike/electric scooter driveway. After all, the money is evenly insignificant for each user.
