The mayor of Marseille Benoît Payan announced on Monday the withdrawal of 1,500 self-service electric scooters in the city, or 37.5% of the fleet, because “it’s pretty much nonsense”, according to the city councilor who denounces the poor regulation of operators.
“There are 4,000 scooters in Marseille and I decided to remove 1,500 of them immediately, quickly. For what ? Because in fact it’s pretty much nonsense, it’s poorly regulated, I asked the operators to do drastic things, I see that a few times they dragged their feet,” said the annoyed mayor at the head of Printemps Marseille (left-wing union) on France Bleu Provence radio.
EXCLUDED – Benoit Payan announces that the speed will now be limited to 30 km/h around all schools in Marseille. He also promises the elimination of 1,500 scooters out of 4,000. #marseille https://t.co/RedPsiuTiL
— France Bleu Provence (@bleuprovence) September 11, 2023
“If I had as many metro lines as in Paris I would tell you this morning I am removing the scooters,” he added, knowing that there are only two metro lines in the second city in France. At the beginning of September, Paris is the first European capital to have banned them following a popular vote.
Maximum speed for cars lowered to 30 km/h in front of schools
Benoît Payan, who threatens to go further, also asks operators to deploy a third of the scooters in non-central districts, in a city much larger than Paris, and to respect legal obligations.
Since the beginning of September, the minimum age for driving an electric scooter has increased from 12 to 14 years and the fines have increased from 35 to 135 euros to punish driving two people on the same scooter or on prohibited routes.
Furthermore, Benoît Payan took “the decision to lower the speed in front of all schools in Marseille” to 30 km/h following an accident in front of a school on Friday.
A four-year-old student was knocked down when leaving the establishment, suffering multiple fractures, according to the Departmental Movement of Parents of 13th.
“The security work which is the responsibility of the Metropolis must be accelerated, as are the measures to secure sidewalks (removal of two-wheelers and vehicles obstructing the area around establishments), which are the responsibility of the City. Road users must be aware of the consequences of their actions when they are behind the wheel or on the handlebars,” adds the parents’ ociation.