Electric scooter services have multiplied in Paris in the last year, and in an anarchic way in the absence of a clear national legal framework. Paris now has 12 operators and nearly 20,000 electric scooters in circulation. Incidents and accidents are multiplying, in the capital as in other major cities, and the government is seriously considering the question of appropriate regulation. Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, has announced new measures to regulate free-floating electric scooters. Parking will be strictly forbidden on all pavements and the speed of electric scooters will have to be restricted by operators. As soon as the government has specified the national framework, the City of Paris will issue a call for tenders to limit the number of operators in the capital to 3. Since January 2019, the Paris municipal police have been issuing tickets to users of electric scooters who use the sidewalks. Since March, this warning has been extended to scooters whose parking is disturbing pedestrians. Nearly 1,000 fines and 600 impoundments have already been issued. At the beginning of May, a charter of good practice was also introduced, signed by all operators.
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From 5 July, five measures will come into force in the capital: the Mayor of Paris is proposing to the Prefect of Police that a joint order be signed prohibiting the parking of electric scooters on all pavements. They will have to be parked in parking spaces located on the roadway and already used by cars and motorised two-wheelers. She is asking operators to automatically restrict the speed of electric scooters to a maximum of 20km/h throughout Paris and to a maximum of 8km/h in pedestrian areas and meeting zones. It also asks operators to freeze the number of electric scooters available in Paris, and where possible to reduce the number until the government has clarified the legal framework. This is also in their economic interest. The City of Paris, the Préfecture de Police and the AP-HP will work together to assess the accidentology related to electric scooters. Finally, wearing a helmet is now recommended for users of electric scooters
