PARIS: The for-hire electric scooters that have become ubiquitous in Paris and other cities worldwide are under scrutiny in the French capital, where residents vote on Sunday on whether to ban them.
AFP looks at how other cities are managing the vehicles that inspire a mix of love and loathing, with users hailing them as eco-friendly ways to avoid gridlock and detractors slamming them as unsightly menaces with the power to maim and kill.The French capital was an early adopter of e-scooters in 2018, when the pavements were soon strewn with discarded rental devices from the first operator, Lime.
While riders as young as 12 can still use them , they must be parked in designated spots and riders are not allowed to go more than 10kmh in most parts of Paris - but many do anyway. Only rental e-scooters with specific safety features are allowed in the capital. Privately owned devices are illegal.The scooters have a speed limit of 12.5 miles per hour and their lights remain on while in use.New York is a relative newcomer to the scooter sharing revolution, with the first service launching only in the summer of 2021, in the Bronx.