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E-Scooter Ban also in Germany?

France has made the beginning of banning e-scooters from the road. In fact, not many of the population voted but those who gave their voice did not want the scooters, so they are not allowed anymore from September this year. Now Germany is also discussing if it would be a better choice to speak out a ban for e-scooters. Actually they were thought as an sustainable and convenient alternative, but now it has changed more to a disruptive factor. People do not handle them carefully and scooters are laying on the streets, in bushes or somewhere else. This is not what they are made for. Another critical point is, that they are in fact not that environmentally friendly as thought. The battery does not have a long lifetime, which is criticized. In addition, safety is a big problem. Scooters are not used conscientiously - people ride them drunk or with too many people on them. They become more of an entertainment. Not forgetting that they are a nice way for, among others, younger people to get around, but going back to what just said, they are not used conscientiously and are used more as a toy. E-scooters are a danger for many road users - starting with pedestrians, cyclists, but also cars. In Berlin alone, 40% more traffic accidents involving e-scooters were registered in 2022 than in the previous year.
It is now envisaged that they will not be banned in general. It is being discussed that a firm agreement should be made with the renters of e-scooters. Parking stations are to be set up and the owners are to be held more accountable. Users of e-scooters, for example, will have to pay until they park them in a space designated for the scooters. The aim is that the scooters will not be scattered all over the city, on the streets and pavements, but will be parked in fixed places. The only question is whether people would stick to it - but it would be desirable and with the help of this approach an absolute ban could be avoided.
All in all reasonable and conscientious e-scooter drivers are needed. An age restriction could be an option or maybe an e-scooter-driving-license. Regarding sustainability, it should be said that it would be a better choice to let them drive with green electricity instead of small batteries with a short lifetime.