Hector* is “disgusted”. On vacation this Sunday, April 2, the young 26-year-old Parisian wanted to give power of attorney to a relative to vote in the referendum, wanted by Anne Hidalgo, “for or against self-service scooters”. Impossible, he was confirmed at the town hall. “Because I have this trip planned for a long time, I will not be able to vote for this consultation organized in a hurry [annoncée mi-janvier, NDLR]. I know in advance that my voice will not be heard! »
It is that in reality, it is not a question of a local referendum, but of a simple consultation. This “vote”, according to the official term of the town hall of Paris, is organized within the framework of an article of the General Code of Territorial Communities which provides that the municipality can “associate the public with the design or development [de certaines] politicians”, by freely setting the rules of the game. Anne Hidalgo promised to “respect the vote of Parisians”… Except that the discontent is mounting against a poorly put together ballot for its detractors, whose participation could be anecdotal.
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Only 21 polling stations
“The terms of the vote mean that it risks being very restricted”, worries Maggy Gerbeaux, director of public affairs at Dott, one of the three free-floating scooter operators under contract with the town hall. And to cite, beyond the impossibility of giving power of attorney, the low number of polling stations (only 21 in all of Paris, compared to nearly 900 in the last presidential and legislative elections), the Paris marathon on the same day which risks disrupt traffic…
Not to mention the exclusion of neighboring Ile-de-France residents, who are also users of scooters in Paris, which “is not a bubble”, recalls Maggy Gerbeaux. David Belliard, deputy mayor of Paris in charge of transport, on the contrary defends a “democratic innovation”, allowing “everyone to express themselves, whether you are a user or not”. The three Parisian operators, Lime, Dott and Tier, had proposed an electronic ballot, as is done for the participatory budget. Impossible, retorted the town hall.
“For or against self-service scooters? This binary and closed question also annoys operators. “The status quo does not exist,” stresses Erwann Le Page, director of public affairs at Tier. Even if the pros win, the next call for tenders from the town hall [qui régule déjà le nombre d’acteurs sur le marché par des contrats d’occupation de l’espace public, NDLR] will require stricter criteria. »
Regulation already in place
For Lime, Dott and Tier, we are far from the jungle of the beginnings, with electric scooters everywhere on the sidewalks and users who show little respect for other road users. Only three companies are now authorized by the town hall in Paris, their fleet limited to 15,000 vehicles and compulsory parking in specific areas. Verification of the age of users, registration, exclusion of offenders… The operators have also made several proposals to the municipality to avoid an outright ban.
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“These proposals have been on the table for more than a year, it took the threat to stop for them to say they were ready to do so”, retorts David Belliard, who believes that “we are already in a regulatory framework whose the balance sheet is mixed”. Relations are strained between the Town Hall and the three companies, which accuse the elected official in charge of transport of “refusing dialogue”. “It is not because we do not agree that there is no dialogue”, annoys the elected official.
To defend their interests, the operators have embarked on a campaign to mobilize their supporters and convince the undecided. “If someone had told me one day that I would campaign for scooters! Maggy Gerbeaux smiles. Ecological impact, dangerousness, relationship with other users of the public road… Mobility companies and the town hall have been waging a real battle of figures for a few weeks.
Mobility not green enough?
“Removing scooters means bringing our 400,000 users back to already saturated public transport”, alarms Lime, who also brandishes a report commissioned by the city of Paris in 2022 from the 6-t cabinet which estimated that 19% users of free-floating scooters would switch to motorized modes of transport (car, scooter, taxi or VTC) if they disappeared. “It also means that 81% would have used a more ecological mode of transport”, disputes David Belliard.
Banning scooters would be “counterproductive and irrational,” according to Lime. “The problem of cohabitation of transport in the public space is much broader than just scooters, agrees Maggy Gerbeaux. Banning them will not help calm the streets. In an Ifop poll conducted in early March for Le Figaro and Sud Radio, 70% of Parisians surveyed said they would vote against if they moved. But Sunday evening, more than the result, there is no doubt that it is the participation in the ballot – and therefore its legitimacy – which will be scrutinized.
*Name has been changed.