Paris votes to ban rental e-scooters
By Paul Homewood
h/t Paul Kolk
Parisians have voted to ban rental electric scooters in their city, dealing a blow to scooter operators and a triumph for road safety campaigners.
Almost 90% of votes cast on Sunday favoured a ban the battery-powered devices, official results showed.
But under 8% of those eligible turned out to vote.
The referendum was called in response to a rising number of people being injured and killed on e-scooters in the French capital.
Of the 1.38 million people on the city’s electoral register, just over 103,000 took part, according to official figures. Of these, over 91,300 voted against the scooters.
Paris was one of the first cities to adopt the electric vehicles – but critics argue they were causing more harm than good.
There was growing concern with the way some people were driving the scooters – weaving through traffic, dodging pedestrians on pavements, and getting up to speeds of 17mph (27km/h).
Riders often did not wear helmets and children as young as 12 could legally hire the e-scooters.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-65154854
Not a moment too soon. Shame on the politicians who allowed them in the first place.
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NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT 
I watched Alex (from the Duran) in Russia over the last week or two. One prominent item was escooters. No one seemed to object, they were largely ridden responsibly, and they seemed to serve a useful purpose.
The other notable transport was the enormous numbers of German vehicles on roads that seemed to flow rather well in city centres with few restrictions like cycle (escooter) lanes, bollards, chicanes etc. Taxi’s were, predictably, Mercedes or Skoda’s.
He visited several cities including Moscow and St. Petersburg.
As an informed consumer what’s your opinion on this?
As for the cheap and frequently lethal scooters, what’s your opinion on this? Chinese E-Bikes are Exploding like Crazy – Self Destructing Spectacularly.
The escooters I saw on Alex’s video’s seemed well managed.
Your YouTube video is no better than climate alarmist video’s about extreme weather. You don’t know who the guy is, what his credentials are, who he works for, what his expertise is, the time frame he’s working with/for etc.
Try being objective.
As an informed consumer I’m surprised that you don’t know at least a little of his background; ten years in China working in IT and teaching, Chinese wife, obvious affection for China and all those who suffer under CCP. Works with an American with similar background and experience. Both travelled extensively in China by motor bikes. One phenomenon that they highlight are the western CCP shills living in China and pumping out cringeworthy propaganda including denying the plight of the Uighurs. The Duran is in a similar ‘Duranty’ category, recycled RT propaganda. Plenty here to help you inform yourself. https://www.youtube.com/c/ADVPodcasts
I have a great deal of sympathy for China, having lost a hundred million people to Mao’s policies I think they deserve it.
I also happened to witness the fallout from that. Believe me, it never leaves you.
China is a de facto capitalist society with innumerable billionaires and millionaires. Try visiting Harrods during Chinese holidays, they literally bus tourists in.
The Uighurs are China’s business. They have been accused of terrorism in China, much like some of the Muslim fanatics in the UK have been convicted of the same.
Anything you have seen of the Uighurs has been from western media and youtube videos with no idea of their provenance. This blog is full of people objecting to propaganda from the MSM but, suddenly, when it comes to demonising China and Russia, they all tell the God’s honest truth.
America/NATO have waged 71 major conflicts since WW2. The US Congressional Research Service reports that US combat troops were sent into service 251 times since 1991.
China has been involved in a few border disputes since then.
Taiwan has belonged to China since 1943 when it was agreed with the US and the UK they could have it, then in 1945 it was signed into the Potsdam treaty and China accepted the surrender of Japan on the island.
China has no intention of invading Taiwan, why would it? It’s the west that’s preparing for invasion as the likely winner of the coming election is a party seeking reunification with China. That threatens America’s unlimited access to semiconductors. They will incite regime change on the island just as they did in Ukraine in 2014, then they’ll site nuclear missiles on the island, just as they intended to do in Ukraine before Russia objected.
Perhaps you should take some interest in geopolitics and understand what’s going on in the world around you.
Tibet, South Korea, Malaya (I remember the ‘End of The Emergency’ parade in KL, Gurkhas, Dayak head hunters, thrilling for a 7 year old), Vietnam and India might question your ‘few border disputes’. I probably take too much interest in (and waste too much time on) geopolitics but at least it allows me to recognise tankies and their ilk.
Tibet and China have disputed and fought over territorial divisions of Tibet and China since 604, notably interrupted by the British invasion of Tibet in 1904. Yet we pass judgement on China.
“Sir Francis Younghusband, negotiated the Convention Between Great Britain and Tibet with the Tibetans, which guaranteed the British great economic influence but ensured the region remained under Chinese control.” (Wikipedia, my emphasis)
So, yes. A historic and continuing border dispute.
The North Koreans invaded South Korea in 1948 and China didn’t join the war until 1950, two years after it began, and only when the Chinese border was threated by a coalition of 20+ UN nations countries.
So, yes, a border dispute.
The Malayan Emergency was a dispute between the British and Malayan communist’s, nothing to do with China.
Vietnam borders China.
So, yes, a border dispute.
All minor in comparison to the major conflicts waged by America/NATO since 1945.
Perhaps you should take some interest in the detail of geopolitics instead of reading western MSM interpretations of it.
I lived through the Malayan Emergency. On 31 July 1960 the Malayan government declared the state of emergency over, and Chin Peng left south Thailand for Beijing where he was accommodated by the Chinese authorities in the International Liaison Bureau, where many other Southeast Asian Communist Party leaders were housed.
Nothing to do with CCP at all of course.
My father played his part in defeating Japanese totalitarianism in Burma and then Chinese communists in Surabaya. Later he manned the front line in Germany against USSR. Your lot lost, get over it.
After failed attempts of negotiations on unification, North Korean army (Korean People’s Army or KPA) forces crossed the border and drove into South Korea on 25 June 1950. UN forces invaded North Korea in October 1950 and moved rapidly towards the Yalu River—the border with China—but on 19 October 1950, Chinese forces of the People’s Volunteer Army (PVA) crossed the Yalu and entered the war.
Germany and Russia border Poland so, yes, just a border dispute in September 1939.
That’s rather childish, considering this a ‘win or lose’ discussion.
Malayan Emergency Amnesty Declaration.
“The Government will conduct investigations on those who surrender. Those who show that they are genuinely intent to be loyal to the Government of Malaya and to give up their Communist activities will be helped to regain their normal position in society and be reunited with their families. As regards the remainder, restrictions will have to be placed on their liberty but if any of them wish to go to China, their request will be given due consideration.”
These were Malayan communists, not Chinese.
“Over the course of the war, some 30,000 mostly ethnic Chinese were deported by the British authorities to mainland China.” (Wikipedia, my emphasis)
That’s the extent of Chinese involvement.
The Chinese had nothing to do with Surabaya.
“The Battle of Surabaya, started after the Arek-Arek Suroboyo (Teenagers of Surabaya) killed British Brigadier Aubertin Mallaby on 30 October 1945, near Jembatan Merah, allegedly with a stray bullet. The Allies gave an ultimatum to the Republicans inside the city to surrender, but they refused. The ensuing battle, which cost thousands of lives, took place on 10 November, which Indonesians subsequently celebrate as Hari Pahlawan (Heroes’ Day). The incident of the red-white flag (the Dutch flag at the top of Yamato Hotel’s tower that was torn into the Indonesian red-white flag) by Bung Tomo is also recorded as a heroic feat during the struggle of this city.” (Wikipedia)
“Later he manned the front line in Germany against USSR.”
I see. Your father is German. He must be because the last time the UK went into combat with Russia (not the USSR who were allies in WW2) was in 1918. He must also be extraordinarily old.
As far as I’m aware the only front line to be manned against the USSR was when Germany invaded the country during WW2.
And the fact is, were it not for the USSR and it’s 65 million citizens who sacrificed their lives fighting Germany, Britain almost certainly would have been overrun by Germany.
“Germany and Russia border Poland so, yes, just a border dispute in September 1939.”
What does that have to do with China. Please stick to the subject.
“After failed attempts of negotiations on unification, North Korean army (Korean People’s Army or KPA) forces crossed the border and drove into South Korea on 25 June 1950. UN forces invaded North Korea in October 1950 and moved rapidly towards the Yalu River—the border with China
Yep. As I stated, a border dispute.
The frontline, of course, was from “Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic”. Fortunately it held and those caught on the wrong side are now some of the most enthusiastic NATO members.
LOL. The front line you describe had nothing to do with the British fighting the Russians.
And what has it to do with the Chinese anyway?
Stick to the subject.
You need to stop drinking.
The article mentions getting up to 17 MPH .
I have seen a video of someone altering the limiter so that it would do around 30 MPH . It only took around a minute or so .
And scooters doing that speed are really not safe on the roads , and a total menace on footpaths .
So along with their habit of bursting into flames , they should definitely be banned .
Not much of a consensus though – only 8 percent voted. Presumably the other 92 percent have no view on the matter.
At least they got a vote. That is the important thing.
Try getting a vote on, for example, the infamous ULEZ
Thank you for that objective comment.
Which one?
I’ve heard of good irony.
My thanks were genuine, but you seem to have interpreted it as irony, perhaps not ascribe your cynicism to others.
“only 8 percent voted”
That one.
Ta – but it wasn’t meant to be objective, Have you heard of irony?
My apologies – easily done when not face e-to-face!
Indeed John. Done it myself.
But that’s what a lot of bicycle riders do.
And don’t forget, no lights, ignoring traffic lights and one-way streets for both cyclists and e-scooters.
>> growing concern with the way some people were driving the scooters – weaving through traffic, dodging pedestrians on pavements,
I’ve done over 3000 miles on my E-Bike in the three years I’ve had it. I’ve never felt unsafe or out of control.
In the last week, I have seen several scooter riders, aged from kids to middle aged, putting themsleves and everybody at risk, on pavements, crossing roads and weaving in and out of both. (i’ve noticed this particularly because we’ve been going into town to visit the Mother-in-Law in hospital!!)
An E-bike from a reputable manufacturer is fine, my grandchildren travel to school on a cargo bike variant. Cheap knock offs need extreme caution.
Mine is a Trek
I have watched central London cyclist’s, not the courier class who are usually outstanding, put themselves at risk because they have no clue the Highway Code includes them, because they have never read it.
Sod em, frankly. Ghost bikes are a testament to stupidity and a life senselessly lost, but for the reading of a little book.
Let cyclist’s do what they want. Don’t regulate them or licence them, but don’t make them a privileged class. If they are knocked of their bike by a motorist, tough luck mate, you chose how to navigate the streets and you had the choice of driving or walking, but you chose to cycle.
You are not a second class citizen, you just chose to play with your life. Get over it!
In Paris, private escooters are still permitted
Really?
The French have a long history of this type of conveyance. Consider the Velo Solex.
Like all tech, cheap poor quality & irresponsible use creates the problems – of course an additional major risk with these battery scooters / bikes is self combustion – there have been 108 fire incidents alone in London in 2023 – we will all end up with increased insurance premiums and some with loss of life / home
I agree, near full front collision with a fuckwit on one of these on wrong side of the road!!
And that’s never happened – never ever -with other car users, pedestrians, cyclists or motor bikes. An idiot now not on an escooter is simply an idiot on something else. You don’t get rid of the idiocy.
My best mate from secondary school (he was my best man twice) was the biggest importer of escooter conversions in Australia almost 20 years ago. Basically, strap a battery motor to your bicycle to get you uphill.
Sound familiar Paul?
The Aussie government banned escooters so he swapped to small petrol motor conversions. Business was good.
Then the Aussie government, on environmental grounds, banned petrol motor conversions and went back to electric motors. The financial implications sent his business under.
The interesting point is that all the conversions came from China and they were all sh*t.
It’s the Bill Gates business model. Bring out a new product, flood the market, and worry about the quality later.
That’s EV’s in general and particularly Chinese EV’s.
Not to say that this is China’s problem. We have created demand through government legislation, and China is only supplying what we ‘demand’.
This is our fault, not China’s.
Such a Luddite, killjoy attitude. Cars kill plenty of pedestrians and create plenty of noise. Quite why you dislike escooters us beyond me.
Majority of cars and trucks respect traffic lights, other stop signs, one-way streets, have insurance and switch on lights. Very few bicycle and scooter riders do. At the very least, it should be a legal requirement that they have insurance.
Jump a red light in a car and you get a ticket. Do that on a bicycle or scooter and nothing happens except the accident.
E-Bikes next. Even more dangerous and almost no responsibility in traffic law.
Quite a few links on this website are getting 404 errors. I wonder if the green blob is hijacking this site.
A whole article has disappeared (the one about Sunak supposedly standing up to the greenblob) as well. Gamecockalso points out that Tony Heller at realscience.com has been “disappeared”. I cannot even get the Wayback machine to bring up his old articles. Coincidences? I doubt it.