Paris to ban e-scooters, despite tiny voter turnout

Voters in the city of Paris on Sunday voiced support for banning the use of for-hire electric scooters in the French capital.

The city government announced that 89% of voters approved of the proposed ban, while 11% opposed it.

However, only about 7% of the city’s 1.3 million eligible voters took part.

Mayor Anne Hidalgo announced the vote in January, which she described as a “public consultation” rather than a referendum, to settle the issue of the divisive means of transport ahead of the 2024 Olympics hosted by the city.

The pro-cycling mayor from the Socialist Party has come out in favor of the ban, calling the e-scooters a “source of tension and worry.”

She had said prior to the vote that she would abide by the outcome and reiterated this when commenting on the results online.