"Ras the scooter".
Since 2018, this collective has expressed its fed up with the nuisances related to the use of motorized two-wheelers in the Paris region.
Ras le scoot, which has just formed a national association, intends to carry the voice of residents, pedestrians and other exasperated road users.
On social networks and with elected officials, its members highlight all the ills associated with this type of vehicle.
Accidents, congestion of sidewalks, noise, pollution… criticism is raining down.
“For years, the two-wheeler has been rather encouraged and viewed with kindness by politicians, remarks Franck-Olivier Torro, spokesperson for the collective.
It was perceived as a mode facilitating the flow of traffic and consuming less space than the car.
Today there are appalling nuisances and many cities are trying to reverse it.
“Following the example of Charenton-le-Pont and Vincennes (Val-de-Marne), the Parisian majority plans to pay for parking motorcycles and scooters on the territory of the capital.
In normal times, outside the confinement period, around 100,000 people circulate in Paris every day on scooters or motorcycles.
The speed limit on the ring road to 50 km / h, to 30 km / h in the capital, and paid parking: so many measures that could discourage the use of two-wheelers in the future in the Paris region, already down 25% since 2010.
Faced with criticism, spokespersons for two-wheelers such as the association "Angry bikers" denounce the "stigmatization" of all for the bad behavior of a few.
A biker demonstration is also scheduled for this Sunday in Paris.
Decryption.
"They are dangerous"
It is a sad statistical observation.
Along with pedestrians, drivers of motorized two-wheelers (2WD) are the first victims of serious accidents in built-up areas.
Often young, “2WD” users represent more than 40% of those killed and 50% of the injured.
"Based on the kilometers traveled, the risk of being killed is 17 times greater for a moped than for a motorist," underlines Road Safety.
“We have no bodywork, we are very vulnerable,” recalls Henri, a 45-year-old Parisian who rides a 125 cm3.
Some do anything, but in the Paris region no one is faultless….
I have only had one accident in my life: a motorist who gave me priority.
"
In 9.5% of cases, a two-wheeler accident also involves a pedestrian.
Hence the fear of many residents, who plague reckless drivers.
“They roll like crazy.
They respect nothing and nobody, gets carried away Marie-Rose, maternal help in the 10th arrondissement.
I got hooked several times, even with a stroller!
"
"They clutter the sidewalks"
Another big criticism addressed to scooters: they are invited on bike paths, bus lanes and, above all, sidewalks.
The City of Paris has increased the penalties against parking outside authorized areas (135 euros fine).
Impoundments are increasing: 35,000 in 2018. But the phenomenon persists.
Rue Eugène Varlin, pedestrian zone #parisrespire canal saint Martin # paris10: around 10 Deliveroo / Uber scooters on the sidewalk and uninterrupted traffic.
When will the Town Hall intervene to stop this?
@David_Belliard @ACORDEBARD pic.twitter.com/bfeuWTgH5J
- Gaël David (@GaelDavid_FGA) November 11, 2020
"Ras le scoot", which campaigns for the end of free, wants to go further, by removing some of the 50,000 places dedicated to them in Paris.
“This is nonsense!
reacts Jean-Marc Belotti, president of the French Federation of Angry Bikers of Ile-de-France.
Two-wheelers take up four times less space than a car.
It is a mode precisely adapted to the city and to promote rather than to prevent ”.
"They are noisy"
The "tampered with pots" bursting with more than 100 decibels continue to be rife.
“We must strictly prohibit their sale and use,” insists Franck-Olivier Torro.
“This is already the case, assures Jean-Marc Belotti.
Paris is a dynamic and noisy city, it is not only the fault of two-wheelers.
In the city, with the boom in home delivery of meals by scooter, nuisances are poisoning the lives of residents.
"It's a constant back and forth, day and night, even during confinement.
I can't take it anymore, ”denounces Marie, who lives near a fast-food restaurant in the 20th arrondissement.
“On this subject, our responsibility is collective.
If we want fewer deliveries, we must stop ordering on the Internet.
And we must protect these delivery kids in a precarious situation, ”says Jean-Marc Belotti.
"They are polluting"
In 2018, a study conducted in Paris on motorcycles and scooters estimated that they emit, at the same fuel consumption, up to six times more nitrogen oxides and ten times more carbon monoxide than gasoline cars. most recent.
“A lot of people travel alone in their car.
If we take into account the emissions generated per person transported, two-wheelers, which do not run on diesel, are much less polluting, ”retorts Jean-Marc Belotti.
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With the introduction of the low emission zone, all Crit'Air 3 two-wheelers (registered before 2007) will be banned in Paris in 2022. The public authorities are therefore encouraging the conversion to electric with purchasing aid. up to 50% of the price for professionals.
But the market is struggling to take off (less than 4% of sales) because of the limited battery life.
Electric?
This is not a solution for Ras le scoot, who considers that this mode is now a thing of the past: “It is time for Paris to reduce the excessive space left for 2WD.
They do not represent a preferred mode of travel for the mobility of tomorrow.
"
David, who lives in Paris, does not intend to change his means of transport.
LP / Sébastian Compagnon
"I appreciate the freedom offered by the scooter"
Give up the scooter for the bike or public transport?
David, a resident of the 19th arrondissement of Paris, has no desire for it.
“I appreciate the freedom, flexibility and convenience of the scooter,” lists this mortgage broker.
For my work, I can get to a meeting in the suburbs quickly.
However, he said he understood the annoyance against certain nuisances.
“Me, I never park on a sidewalk and I drive carefully.
Other drivers do.
But it must still be said that scooters are not the only ones to commit offenses in Paris!
Look at the bikes and scooters ... "
After several years on a thermal model, David has just acquired an electric two-wheeler.
“I appreciate the cleanliness and silence of the electric.
But we must also be more careful because pedestrians hear us less well.
With the subsidies, it cost me the same price as a thermal.
And I do hope that electric two-wheelers will be exempt from paying parking in Paris.
Otherwise it would be a scandal.
"
Lucile, 35, has just moved from Val-de-Marne to Paris.
By the way, she sold her car ... to buy an electric scooter.
“I am a home nurse.
In Paris, the car is not the solution.
With my schedules and my long days, I did not see myself chaining the appointments by bike, especially with the cold and the rain.
The scooter suits me better.
It's a matter of comfort, ”she says.
420,000 trips per day in Ile-de-France
According to the latest Global Transport Study, 420,000 trips per day are made in motorized two-wheelers in Ile-de-France, a drop of 25% between 2010 and 2018. This is around 2% of total surface trips, and two times less than cycling (840,000 per day, + 30%).
Two thirds of the fleet are scooters.
Nine out of ten users are men.