Motor scooter riders are an integral part of the Parisian street scene and, like the cook Colette in the film "Ratatouille", squeeze their way through even the narrowest of gaps, often at breakneck speed.

Now the socialist mayor Anne Hidalgo has turned them against herself.

Niklas Zaboji

Economic correspondent in Paris

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Since September 1st, they can no longer park their vehicle free of charge on the curb unless they drive with electric drive.

Motorcycles are also affected.

From now on they have to pay two or three euros per hour in the inner districts, with reduced annual rates for residents and exceptions for people with disabilities and carers.

Lack of respect for bike lanes and sidewalks

The city administration justified the step with the “equal treatment” of two-wheelers with combustion engines with cars and should “in particular persuade their owners to use a less polluting vehicle”.

In addition, the public space is extremely restricted and stressed.

During the last election campaign, Hidalgo had already complained that "there are far too many motorized two-wheelers that are parked everywhere and don't respect the bike lanes and sidewalks".

Many Parisians like the harder pace against the scooters, which they perceive as noisy and smelly, especially since other major cities such as London have been charging them for parking for some time.

Those affected, on the other hand, find it difficult to understand the step after Hidalgo has already messed with the city-wide speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour.

The internet and the press are full of angry comments.

"I only bought my scooter for work because it's a cheap, easy and very fast means of transport," a security guard told local newspaper Le Parisien.

The lobby association Fédération française des Motards en colère speaks of a "really discriminatory measure, especially for the poorest people who live in the suburbs", started a collection of signatures and wants to demonstrate this Saturday in front of the town hall.

The apartments in Paris have become so expensive that people are moving further and further away - but cannot cycle 40 kilometers to the center.

The suburban residents are "regarded as second-class citizens who are forced to use public transport, which unfortunately is often overcrowded," criticizes the business daily Les Echos.

Nine out of ten scooter riders use their vehicle to commute to work, according to the Mobilians traffic club.

She speaks of 760,000 motorized two-wheelers in Paris and the surrounding area.

Retailers are now anticipating growing interest in electric bikes or scooters, which are subsidized in both France and Germany.