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Paris votes to ban rental e-scooters

france24.com

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Re: Paris votes to ban rental e-scooters

#92
Good.

These are just a menacee. At least people (mostly) ride bicycles on the road and bike lanes not sidewalks. Scooters are often left to litter sidewalks and most of them are too narrow to share with pedestrians safely.

Re: Paris votes to ban rental e-scooters

#93

Low turnout elections are antidemocratic by nature. I'd venture there are many more e-scooter users in Paris than voters in this referendum.

Not voting is a "whatever is fine with me" vote. Turnout doesn't matter as long as there isn't mass disenfranchisement.

Re: Paris votes to ban rental e-scooters

#94

Low turnout elections are antidemocratic by nature. I'd venture there are many more e-scooter users in Paris than voters in this referendum.

There is a difference between "not eligible to vote" which is arguably anti-democratic, and "chose not to vote" which is arguably democratic. Would making voting at elections compulsory make them more democratic?

Re: Paris votes to ban rental e-scooters

#95
I hate these types of rented vehicles. I hope more cities follow Paris' example.

1. There is questionable quality and reliability. They always feel worse than a mid-range private ownership model.

2. Ownership is cheaper for regular users.

3. Parked vehicles litter sidewalks, making the city less pleasant for pedestrians, bicyclist, and even people actively riding an e-scooter.

4. You need a cell phone to interact with them. Maybe I'm a luddite, but I think this is bad for society.

Re: Paris votes to ban rental e-scooters

#96

I feel like maybe they should ban e-scooter companies parking them on the sidewalk or something like that (or did they)? Why would it be illegal to rent e-scooters, but not own or ride e-scooters?

You are more likely to lock up your scooter at a bike rack or carry it with you than you would with a rental scooter.

Re: Paris votes to ban rental e-scooters

#97

Low turnout elections are antidemocratic by nature. I'd venture there are many more e-scooter users in Paris than voters in this referendum.

There's a pretty big difference between a person who owns and uses an e-scooter (not banned) versus rentals (banned).

I don't know about Paris, but in the earlier days of e-thing rentals (especially when Lime first came to our area), they were treated like trash. Users would dump them where ever they were done with them, often in the middle of the sidewalk or on people's lawns. Their batteries didn't last a full day so they'd often end up cluttering areas until the company came around and picked them up.

I think I'd have preferred to see something along the lines of unpleasant fines for leaving them anywhere other than a designated drop-off location, plus perhaps electronic governors limiting speed if that was an issue.

That said, if Paris doesn't have the ability to make and enforce such mandates, then a ban on nuisance business makes sense to me.

Re: Paris votes to ban rental e-scooters

#98

I feel like maybe they should ban e-scooter companies parking them on the sidewalk or something like that (or did they)? Why would it be illegal to rent e-scooters, but not own or ride e-scooters?

E-scooter rental companies are in a contract with the city to allow the scooters to be parked on city property. Paris just ends the contracts. This isn't making anything illegal.

Re: Paris votes to ban rental e-scooters

#99

Low turnout elections are antidemocratic by nature. I'd venture there are many more e-scooter users in Paris than voters in this referendum.

> low turnout elections are antidemocratic This is a feature. Democracy is government by the people. Not by their whimsy. If it isn’t worth the inconvenience of voting, that might be a sign.

Sometimes what is being voted on is unclear. Names/monickers are often misleading. The description text of bills can seem contradictory to the advertising about them.

This is all before we get into gerrymandering and other patterns to shape voting outcomes.

It’s not always about apathy.

Re: Paris votes to ban rental e-scooters

#100

I feel like maybe they should ban e-scooter companies parking them on the sidewalk or something like that (or did they)? Why would it be illegal to rent e-scooters, but not own or ride e-scooters?

They already had regulations that meant that they had to be parked in specific areas or fine the person who left it somewhere they shouldn't.

But that didn't stop someone uninvolved in renting one walking by, picking one up and moving it.

Nothing stopped people just riding along the paths at top speed hitting people or randomly darting into traffic. Soon as you entered any pedestrian square you had to be on the constant lookout for being smashed into by a scooter. Anything near the Louvre was particularly bad.

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