France to ban electric scooters from sidewalks
France’s Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne has announced that she will ban electric scooters from sidewalks starting this September. In future, the vehicles will only be on the road or on cycle paths. Infringements could result in a fine of 135 euros.
Compared to Germany, where in the run-up to the legalisation of small electric vehicles, there is a long and broad debate about whether electric pedal scooters should be allowed to drive on sidewalks, France is going the other way: there, electric pedal scooters have already been part of the cityscape for months and their use has not been regulated up to now. So far, it had been somewhat unclear where the electric scooters may be driven. Confronted with the sometimes chaotic experiences, Transport Minister Borne now has a subsequent regulation in mind: electric pedal scooters should be banned from sidewalks, and only be allowed on cycle paths or roads in future. The same applies to similar small electric vehicles such as standing scooters or monowheels.
Especially in the capital Paris, electric pedal scooters of different manufacturers are becoming omnipresent. According to reports, there are already around 15,000 scooters on the road since their introduction last year, and by the end of the year their number is expected to rise to 40,000.
In Germany, on the other hand, to date, there have only been occasional test runs. Officially, electric pedal scooters are still banned on public roads. On 17 May, the Federal Council is expected to vote on the “Regulation for very small electric vehicles” approved by the Federal Cabinet at the beginning of April. If the vote is positive, electric pedal scooters would also be allowed in German road traffic.
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