The security argument
Excessive speed, non-respect of the highway code, slaloms on the sidewalk: electric scooters have become the real dangers of city centers. On June 19, in Nîmes, a 25-year-old man died in an accident with a car. On June 14, a 31-year-old woman died after being hit by an electric scooter in Paris. On the 7th, in Saint-Amour (Jura), a 12-year-old boy lost his life after hitting a car, while he was driving one with his twin brother.
The green argument
According to the “Oversharing” newsletter from 2019, the average lifespan of a self-service electric scooter is 28 days. So let’s take stock. Most of these machines are made in China and then shipped to France. After a month (if they have not finished at the bottom of a canal), they are no longer functional and difficult to recycle. We must add the carbon footprint of the juicers, these employees who pick them up to recharge them … You might as well get around in an SUV.
The bad faith argument
Let’s face it frankly, no one has ever said to themselves: “Hey, he has class, this guy, on his electric scooter!” ” Why ? Quite simply because we are ridiculous. And equipping yourself with a state-of-the-art helmet will not change anything. Not to mention the new models that feature a saddle in the back, this is rock bottom. And no more 10,000 recommended steps per day. In addition to being a fault of taste, the electric scooter will become a major health problem!
The security counter-argument
According to road safety figures, 2,550 people lost their lives on the roads of France in 2020. That is 1,243 motorists and only 8 users “Motorized personal transport vehicles” (mostly electric scooters). In addition, the code provides for new rules: speed limit to 25 km / h, transport of one person, reflective equipment at night. Instructions that must be better applied, without banning these two-wheelers.
The green counter-argument
According to a 2019 report from Arcadis, an environmental engineering and consulting company, a self-service electric scooter has the same carbon footprint as a conventional car carrying three passengers. Especially since it can be improved. With better longevity and if we exclude the issue of fleet management, these two-wheelers could emit four times less grams of CO2 per kilometer than a diesel bus, seven times less than a car and ten times less than a taxi.
The bad faith counter-argument
What a pleasure to let yourself be carried away and to pass the velotaffeurs who sweat profusely. Maybe you don’t have as much class on the bike path, but in the office, the balance of power is reversed. You are neat in your shirt while your fellow cyclists drag huge halos all day. Finally, you tell yourself that you have chosen the camp of modernity. Riding an electric scooter is not out of date, it is avant-garde.