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Riding the crest of an e-scooter tsunami: How cities are coping with the popular PMD

Cheap, available and easily unlocked with a phone app, the device has become wildly popular but perils lurk

Far left: A boy riding an e-scooter in front of The Louvre's Pyramid in Paris. Such devices are especially popular among foreign visitors and are often seen parked outside the city's tourist sights. Left: A car colliding with a mannequin on an e-scoo
A boy riding an e-scooter in front of The Louvre’s Pyramid in Paris. Such devices are especially popular among foreign visitors and are often seen parked outside the city’s tourist sights. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Far left: A boy riding an e-scooter in front of The Louvre's Pyramid in Paris. Such devices are especially popular among foreign visitors and are often seen parked outside the city's tourist sights. Left: A car colliding with a mannequin on an e-scoo
E-scooters in a haphazard pile on a sidewalk in Paris. The French capital has implemented fines for those riding these devices on pavements and parking them indiscriminately, according to The Guardian newspaper. PHOTO: REUTERS
Far left: A boy riding an e-scooter in front of The Louvre's Pyramid in Paris. Such devices are especially popular among foreign visitors and are often seen parked outside the city's tourist sights. Left: A car colliding with a mannequin on an e-scoo
An e-scooter rider alongside cars in Frankfurt, Germany. Shared roads and lack of safety gear are some of the top safety concerns. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
A shared e-scooter left on a neighbourhood sidewalk in Mexico City poses an obstacle to pedestrians. The use of the increasingly popular device is causing safety concerns in cities across Latin America and elsewhere in the world. Critics are urging t
A shared e-scooter left on a neighbourhood sidewalk in Mexico City poses an obstacle to pedestrians. The use of the increasingly popular device is causing safety concerns in cities across Latin America and elsewhere in the world. Critics are urging the authorities to implement some kind of framework for the use of these e-scooters. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
(Left) Former sprinter Usain Bolt riding a Bolt e-scooter during its launch in Paris in May. (Right) A shared e-scooter with a “Just married” sign is abandoned on a street in Montevideo, Uruguay. The use of such transport devices has taken Latin American countries by storm. PHOTOS: REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Far left: A boy riding an e-scooter in front of The Louvre's Pyramid in Paris. Such devices are especially popular among foreign visitors and are often seen parked outside the city's tourist sights. Left: A car colliding with a mannequin on an e-scoo
A Bangkok commuter using an e-scooter belonging to Singapore-based Neuron Mobility. PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Far left: A boy riding an e-scooter in front of The Louvre's Pyramid in Paris. Such devices are especially popular among foreign visitors and are often seen parked outside the city's tourist sights. Left: A car colliding with a mannequin on an e-scoo
A car colliding with a mannequin on an e-scooter during a crash test in Paris. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Far left: A boy riding an e-scooter in front of The Louvre's Pyramid in Paris. Such devices are especially popular among foreign visitors and are often seen parked outside the city's tourist sights. Left: A car colliding with a mannequin on an e-scoo
An e-scooter on fire in Washington DC. In Singapore, retailers are allowed to sell only specially certified e-scooters to minimise the risk of fire from the electrical drivetrain systems, batteries and chargers. PHOTO: WASHINGTON POST
Far left: A boy riding an e-scooter in front of The Louvre's Pyramid in Paris. Such devices are especially popular among foreign visitors and are often seen parked outside the city's tourist sights. Left: A car colliding with a mannequin on an e-scoo
An e-scooter rider being stopped by the police in Paris. The French city, which has more than half a dozen e-scooter operators, has been trying to regulate the system. Mayor Anne Hidalgo wants to limit speeds to 20kmh in most areas and 8kmh in areas with heavy foot traffic. She also plans to limit the number of operators to three and cap the number of e-scooters. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Updated
Jul 09, 2019, 06:11 AM
Published
Jul 09, 2019, 05:00 AM
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PARIS • They appeared in June last year as Paris was waking up from its annual all-night Festival of Music: hundreds of green-and-black electric scooters dotting the pavements of the French capital.

The timing was perfect, as the city was struggling with a botched revamp of its main bike-sharing service that had left countless frustrated users looking for a new form of transport. Cheap, widely available and easily unlocked with a smartphone app, e-scooters checked all the boxes and became wildly popular overnight.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 09, 2019, with the headline Riding the crest of an e-scooter tsunami. Subscribe

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