A referendum in Paris showed an overwhelming majority in favor of banning electric scooters. The mayor has promised to respect this result, so apparently the disputed bicycles will disappear from the Parisian cityscape.

Paris was among the first major cities to be filled with electric scooters. But now that seems to be over. A massive majority of the city’s residents simply wanted to get rid of them.

NTB-TT-AFP reports on the case.

Mayor Anne Hidalgo from the Socialist Party has promised to respect the result of the referendum on Sunday, where almost 90 percent voted not to allow the rental of electric scooters, her office said.

After the electric scooters appeared, they have become popular as a means of getting around on shorter distances, especially among young people.

But they have also met opposition from many, both in Paris and other cities, including in Norway. People have complained about reckless driving and scooters lying everywhere, with many accidents involving such bikes having occurred.

In Norway, paramedics and hospital emergency departments have, among other things, reported ugly injuries after both small and large accidents with electric scooters. See case below.

In the past Paris, it has attempted to solve the problems through stricter regulation, including requirements for parking zones. After a rather chaotic start in 2018, there have also been restrictions on the speed and on how many companies can rent out the scooters.

This may be reminiscent of the situation in, among other places, Oslo.

A ban in Paris will not include private scooters, but they make up a fairly limited number compared to the multitude of rental bikes.

Several French cities are expected to follow suit if the Parisians are in favor of a ban. The entire rental industry may more or less disappear.

Now with the season for such vehicles almost upon countries such as Norway, it is uncertain whether the authorities here will be inspired by the French initiative to clean up what many see as a blight on the cityscape.