The municipality of the French capital has ordered electric scooter rental operators to limit their maximum speed to 10 km/h. The decision was made after the number of injuries to pedestrians increased, TechCrunch reports.
Paris is quite an attractive city for electric scooters, primarily due to a well-developed network of bike paths. 16 different companies planned to enter the market at one time, but due to regulations, only three remained: Dott, Lime, and Tier.
However, the problem of injuries on the streets is still relevant – in 2021 alone, there were 298 cases involving electric scooters, 329 people were injured, and two died.
So, in June, two girls were riding a scooter at night near the Seine, knocked down a 32-year-old Italian woman and fled. The woman died in hospital a few days later.
The municipality has responded by limiting the speed of electric scooters to 10 km/h in several crowded locations, such as Tuileries Park, Place de la Bastille and Place de la République. In September, the list of these zones was expanded to 700.
However, now they have decided to introduce speed limits throughout the city, except for a few streets with wide lanes. The restriction does not apply to personal transport and applies only to rental. The new rules will take effect in early December.
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Is urban infrastructure ready for new “eco-friendly” road users? Check the full article here!
