Parisians massively vote to banish for-hire e-scooters

PARIS — Parisians have overwhelmingly voted to banish the French capital’s ubiquitous for-hire electric scooters from their streets. The question City Hall asked voters in a citywide mini-referendum on Sunday was: “For or against self-service scooters in Paris?” The result wasn’t close. “It is a shame because it answers a real need, people were happy to have them, but I still hope they won’t simply ban them but rather improve regulations,” said Michael Yadan, who often cycles. “So this means that a very small group of people have a disproportionate influence on the city’s urban mobility system, which we think is a shame.” A joint statement from Lime, Dott and TIER pointed to “restrictive voting methods” that didn’t include either online or proxy voting and that voting locations were limited on a day when the French capital hosted a marathon that forced some road closures. Hidalgo and some of her deputies campaigned to banish the “free floating” rental flotilla — so called because scooters are picked up and dropped off around town at their renters’ whim — on safety, public nuisance and environmental cost-benefit grounds before the capital hosts the Olympic Games next year.