A more sustainable urban mobility with the electric scooter
Many city dwellers still rely on cars for their commute to work. Yet it is undeniable that these combustion engine vehicles have a negative impact on the environment, but also on the health and expenses of city dwellers. While some opt for car-sharing, car-pooling or electric cars, there are other modes of transportation that are even more practical, sustainable and accessible.
The development of urban mobility offers an alternative to the car: the MPT. Motorized personal transport devices are particularly modern forms of mobility that attract many users for their trips in the city. Electric bikes, electric scooters, hoverboards, gyropods: these devices are fast, intelligent and ergonomic, and promise a pleasant and safe ride. The electric scooter is one of the new modes of travel that are becoming increasingly important in sustainable urban mobility: we tell you everything.
The challenges of EDPM in urban mobility
Urban mobility has undergone many transformations in recent years. Authorities and the general public have begun to favor the use of alternatives to the personal combustion engine car: soft mobility (walking, cycling), public transport, shared mobility (car sharing, car pooling) and electric cars. New modes of transport have also been democratized: motorized personal transport devices (MPDs).
The emergence of new, more sustainable modes of transport
The transportation sector, which includes individual cars (gasoline or diesel), is responsible for the majority of greenhouse gas emissions in France. In fact, according to Ademe (Environment and Energy Management Agency), the internal combustion engine car emits almost 1 kg of CO₂ during a 4 km trip in the city. In the context of home-work trips as well as all trips made by city dwellers, it therefore seems essential to limit or even eventually cease the use of these particularly polluting vehicles.
The emergence of new modes of transport should therefore promote the ecological transition and sustainable development in a broader sense, by proposing solutions to all the economic, environmental and social issues involved. Walking, cycling, public transport, electric cars, EDPM: city dwellers have a choice of many modes of transport.
A mobility solution that meets the needs of city dwellers
Motorized personal transport devices are vehicles that are particularly well suited to the profiles of today's city dwellers. For their home-to-work trips, city dwellers are looking for means of transportation that combine speed, accessibility and practicality. These city dwellers are short of time and are increasingly aware of a more responsible lifestyle: they need to find a better alternative to the car. The solution of the EDPM like the electric scooter is then ideal: the city dwellers do not have to undergo any more the waste of time and the stress caused by the traffic jams related to the commuting.
A growing craze for the electric scooter
The market for electric scooters has been booming in recent years. While the manual scooter was once considered a toy for children and teenagers, it has gradually emerged as a full-fledged urban mobility solution for relatively short journeys.
Then, the appearance of the electric scooter marked a real turning point in the scooter market, as in urban mobility in general. City dwellers now have access to personal electric scooters, but also to self-service scooters in many French cities.
Indeed, the motorization of the scooter has made it a preferred means of transportation for adults, especially young working people, who use it for their commute to work in the city, among many other uses. Electric scooters have many advantages:
- practicality: they are mostly foldable, and therefore "all-purpose", thus promoting multimodality in urban mobility;
- speed : with a speed of construction which can reach 25 km/h (or more, but in this case prohibited in town), they make it possible to move approximately 3 or 4 times faster than on foot, or as quickly as in electric bicycle, but without need of effort;
- autonomy: with an average autonomy of 25 km (for urban models), they allow you to make several trips in the city during the day, without needing to recharge.
Today, more and more city dwellers are buying their own electric scooters. There are many models of scooters: the choice of a model must take into account the preferences of the user in terms of autonomy and budget, but also the frequency of use of the motorized machine.
Traffic rules for electric scooters in the city
Electric scooters are an integral part of the new modes of transportation in the city. However, their use is not totally free: the government has put in place specific regulations for the circulation and parking of electric scooters in the city. These regulations guarantee the safety of all road users (scooter users, cyclists, pedestrians, motorists, etc.).
To begin with, the user of the electric scooter must be at least 12 years old and may not be accompanied by another user on the same machine. Then, to move by electric scooter in town, it is obligatory to circulate on the cycle tracks, by respecting the speed limit of 25 km/h. In the absence of tracks, it is possible to circulate :
- on roads with a speed limit of 50 km/h ;
- on pedestrian areas, at a moderate speed and without disturbing pedestrians;
- on private roads.
Riding on sidewalks is strictly prohibited, unless authorized by the local authority (in which case the rules of the road are the same as in a pedestrian area). Parking on sidewalks is allowed, but again, the local government may decide otherwise. In some cities, parking electric scooters (especially self-service scooters) on sidewalks is strictly forbidden, under penalty of a fine. In these cases, special parking areas are set aside for these machines.
Certain equipment is mandatory for electric scooters when traveling in urban areas. The helmet is not part of it, but its wearing is of course strongly advised.
Finally, users of electric scooters (both personal and self-service) must have civil liability insurance to travel in the city. The latter protects them in case of damage caused to others (accidents with pedestrians, material damage to other vehicles, etc.).
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