EcoWatch
Facebook 573k Twitter 238k Instagram 37k Subscribe Subscribe
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Policy
  • Renewables
  • Culture
  • Science
  • Go Solar Today
      • Top Companies By State
        • California Solar Companies
        • Texas Solar Companies
        • New York Solar Companies
        • Florida Solar Companies
        • See All States
      • Top Incentives By State
        • California Solar Incentives
        • Texas Solar Incentives
        • New York Solar Incentives
        • Florida Solar Incentives
        • See All States
      • Solar Panel Costs By State
        • Solar Panel Costs in California
        • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
        • Solar Panel Costs in New York
        • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
        • See All States
      • Value of Solar by State
        • Is Solar Worth It In California?
        • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
        • Is Solar Worth It New York?
        • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
        • See All States
      • Company Reviews
        • Tesla Solar Review
        • Sunrun Solar Review
        • SunPower Solar Review
        • Vivint Solar Review
        • See All Companies
      • Common Solar Questions
        • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
        • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
        • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
        • Can You Finance Solar?
        • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
        • Payback On Solar Panels?
      • Solar Resources
        • Interactive Solar Calculator
        • Federal Solar Tax Credit 2023
        • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
        • Tesla Solar Roof Review
        • Cheapest Solar Panels
      • Companies Compared
        • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
        • SunRun vs SunPower
        • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
        • SunPower vs ADT Solar
EcoWatch
  • Climate
  • Energy
  • Policy
  • Renewables
  • Culture
  • Science
  • Go Solar Today
    • Go Solar Today
    • Top Companies By State
      • California Solar Companies
      • Texas Solar Companies
      • New York Solar Companies
      • Florida Solar Companies
      • See All States
    • Top Incentives By State
      • California Solar Incentives
      • Texas Solar Incentives
      • New York Solar Incentives
      • Florida Solar Incentives
      • See All States
    • Solar Panel Costs By State
      • Solar Panel Costs in California
      • Solar Panel Costs in Texas
      • Solar Panel Costs in New York
      • Solar Panel Costs in Florida
      • See All States
    • Value of Solar by State
      • Is Solar Worth It In California?
      • Is Solar Worth It in Texas?
      • Is Solar Worth It New York?
      • Is Solar Worth It In Florida?
      • See All States
    • Company Reviews
      • Tesla Solar Review
      • Sunrun Solar Review
      • SunPower Solar Review
      • Vivint Solar Review
      • See All Companies
    • Common Solar Questions
      • Can You Get Free Solar Panels?
      • Does Solar Increase Home Value?
      • What’re The Best Solar Batteries?
      • Can You Finance Solar?
      • Where To Buy Solar Panels?
      • Payback On Solar Panels?
    • Solar Resources
      • Interactive Solar Calculator
      • Federal Solar Tax Credit 2023
      • Best Solar Panels For Most Homes
      • Tesla Solar Roof Review
      • Cheapest Solar Panels
    • Companies Compared
      • SunPower vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs Tesla Solar
      • SunRun vs SunPower
      • SunPower vs Momentum Solar
      • SunPower vs ADT Solar

The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 573k Twitter 238k Instagram 37k
    EcoWatch
    • About EcoWatch
    • Contact EcoWatch
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Learn About Solar Energy
    Facebook 573k Twitter 238k Instagram 37k
    Home Renewable Energy

    Will Paris Ban Electric Scooters?

    By: Olivia Rosane
    Updated: November 23, 2022
    Edited by Chris McDermott
    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon
    A group of people prepare to cross a busy city street on electric scooters in Paris, France
    People use electric scooters in Paris, France on April 4, 2019. John van Hasselt / Corbis via Getty Images
    Why you can trust us

    Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

    Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

    Could the City of Light ban the electric scooters that have become popular in cities around the world?

    Paris currently has three rental e-scooter companies whose licenses are set to expire in February, and concerns about safety, congestion and ultimate environmental impact mean those licenses may not be renewed. 

    “If we don’t find an agreement with operators on security, public space and environmental credentials, then yes it’s very clearly on the table right now to stop the contracts,” Paris Green deputy mayor in charge of transport and public spaces David Belliard said, as The Guardian reported.

    There are currently more than 15,000 rental e-scooters in Paris offered by the companies Lime, Dot and Tier, as Inside EVs reported. The Paris Town Council is currently considering their fate, but Mayor Anne Hidalgo has the final say-so, according to electrive.com. A decision is expected within weeks. 

      More From EcoWatch
    • Is Solar Right For Your Home?
    • The 6 Top Solar Companies of September 2022
    • How to Conserve Energy

    One of the major concerns is safety. In 2021, two dozen people died in scooter-related accidents across all of France, including one in Paris, Reuters reported. This was an incident in which an Italian woman walking along the Seine hit her head and died after a scooter carrying two other women crashed into her, as The Guardian reported at the time. Paris saw a total of 337 accidents related to scooters and other similar electric vehicles during the first eight months of 2022, which was an increase from the 247 accidents over the same portion of 2021, The Guardian reported further. 

    Tourists ride an electric scooter from the bike sharing service company Lime in Paris, France on Oct. 9, 2018. Chesnot / Getty Images

    However, scooter companies counter that the uptick in accidents needs to be considered in light of the uptick in overall use, and that the scooters cause relatively few accidents when compared to other modes of transportation.

    “[E-scooters] see fewer fatal incidents on a per-ride basis than bikes, and far fewer than those caused by mopeds or cars,” a Lime spokesperson told The Washington Post, adding that more than 99.99 percent of Lime trips in Paris involved no safety incidents. 

    Another concern is the space that scooters take up on city streets, though Paris does have designated parking spots for the vehicles. Still, centrist MoDem councilor Maud Gatel said at a meeting that the devices had turned Paris into a “jungle” where “pedestrians are afraid to cross a street or even walk along the pavement.” 

    While scooters compete for street and sidewalk space, proponents have argued that they can ease congestion on public transit options like metros or buses, according to The Washington Post, or offer an alternative when public transportation is down. 

    Finally, there is the question of their ultimate environmental value. Paris is the midst of a green transformation to favor shared public space over motor vehicles, and some argue that scooters reduce car use. Bellard, however, said that the sustainability case for e-scooters may be overstated, because they are “slightly throwaway and have a very short life,” according to The Guardian. 

    That said, an October study published in Nature Energy found that a 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. ban on e-scooters and electric bikes in Atlanta did increase road travel time by around 10 percent and meant that the city’s residents spent an extra 784,000 hours in traffic per year. More traffic congestion also means more cars, which means more greenhouse gas emissions. 

    “[T]he point of this paper is to present the idea that it’s not just as simple as ‘we should ban the scooters,’ right?” study co-author Edward Chen of Georgia Institute of Technology said in a press release. “We have found that there are, in fact, trade-offs between banning them for public safety versus allowing them to relieve traffic congestion, and whether or not city governments make the decision does ultimately have an impact on people’s daily lives.”

    Paris has already made efforts at this compromise by regulating its rental scooter industry after the vehicles first emerged on the scene in 2018, according to Reuters. It limited operators to three and set speed limits and designated parking areas. In a bid to keep their licenses, the companies are now proposing more regulations including ID checks, a one-rider-per-scooter rule and license plates so police can enforce traffic laws.

    “If Paris accepts our proposals, it would become the city with the strictest scooter regulation in the world,” Lime public affairs director Garance Lefevre told Reuters. 

    Cities around the world looking to decarbonize in the midst of the e-scooter boom will likely watch what Paris does next.

    Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

      By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

      Olivia Rosane

      Olivia Rosane is a freelance writer and reporter with a decade’s worth of experience. She has been contributing to EcoWatch daily since 2018 and has also covered environmental themes for Treehugger, The Trouble, YES! Magazine and Real Life. She holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Cambridge and a master’s in Art and Politics from Goldsmiths, University of London.
      Facebook icon Twitter icon Pinterest icon Email icon

      Read More

      English Lawyers Refuse to Prosecute Climate Protestors in ‘Declaration of Conscience’
      A group of lawyers in England have signed a “Declaration
      By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
      Musk’s Boring Company Wants to Dump Wastewater in Texas River, Worrying Local Residents
      Residents of a Texas city outside of Austin are concerned
      By Olivia Rosane
      Lack of Safe Drinking Water for City Dwellers to Double by 2050: UN Report
      At the start of the first UN Water Conference since
      By Cristen Hemingway Jaynes

      Subscribe to get exclusive updates in our daily newsletter!

        By signing up, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy & to receive electronic communications from EcoWatch Media Group, which may include marketing promotions, advertisements and sponsored content.

        Latest Articles

        • English Lawyers Refuse to Prosecute Climate Protestors in ‘Declaration of Conscience’
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          March 24, 2023
        • Spreading Infections of Flesh-Eating Bacteria Linked to Climate Change
          by Paige Bennett
          March 24, 2023
        • Musk’s Boring Company Wants to Dump Wastewater in Texas River, Worrying Local Residents
          by Olivia Rosane
          March 24, 2023
        • Researchers Develop Method to Permanently Destroy Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ in Water Supply
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          March 24, 2023
        • Fossil Fuels 101: Everything You Need to Know
          by Olivia Rosane
          March 23, 2023
        • Biden Administration Unveils Nation’s First Ocean Climate Action Plan
          by Olivia Rosane
          March 23, 2023
        • First-of-its-Kind Study Casts More Shade on Forest Carbon Offsets
          by Olivia Rosane
          March 23, 2023
        • Lack of Safe Drinking Water for City Dwellers to Double by 2050: UN Report
          by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes
          March 22, 2023
        EcoWatch

        The best of EcoWatch right in your inbox. Sign up for our email newsletter!

          • Climate Climate
          • Animals Animals
          • Health + Wellness Health + Wellness
          • Insights + Opinion Insights + Opinion
          • Adventure Adventure
          • Oceans Oceans
          • Business Business
          • Solar Solar
          • About EcoWatch
          • Contact EcoWatch
          • EcoWatch Reviews
          • Terms of Use
          • Privacy Policy
          • Learn About Solar Energy
          • Learn About Deregulated Energy
          • EcoWatch UK
          Follow Us
          Facebook 573k
          Twitter 238k
          Instagram 37k
          Subscribe Subscribe

          Experts for a healthier planet and life.

          Mentioned by:
          Learn more