The city's firefighter brigades, the first responders in case of emergencies, have noted a nearly 40 percent surge in accidents since the public transport strike began on December 5th. Day 13 of Metro strikes in Paris and there are more and more people on bikes. France Info reported a 40 percent rise in accidents involving cyclists in Paris since the strikes began. Since last year, Paris has been flooded with at least 15,000 electric scooters available for rent, drawing the ire of residents and city officials complaining they are cluttering up already crowded sidewalks and squares. During the first day of the strike on December 5th, the environmental activist group Extinction Rebellion claimed the sabotage of 3,600 electric scooters in Paris and other French cities, saying the green image of the gadgets hid an "ecologically catastrophic" reality.

Source: The Local December 17, 2019 10:41 UTC