A London council has threatened to evict cycle hire firm Lime for allegedly ignoring its safety concerns amid ‘havoc’ caused by e-bikes left ‘scattered’ across its streets.
Brent Council told the US-based dockless bike operator that it has three months to address the issues or remove all 750 cycles currently allowed in the borough.
The local authority in North West London is particularly worried about the dangers posed by the abandoned green bikes for pedestrians and disabled people.
Its ultimatum is the latest round of an ongoing battle between councils and private hire bike firms amid soaring demand for battery-powered bikes since the pandemic.
Lime now has 30,000 e-bikes across London and has been working with Brent since 2019 as the council tries to promote eco-friendly travel to reduce air pollution.
But Brent leader Muhammed Butt said the council is receiving ‘repeated, regular complaints about the bikes left across paths and roads in a haphazard way’.
He added that this was ‘putting unsustainable pressure on council staff who are spending time cleaning up after Lime’, describing the situation as ‘unsustainable’.
Hammersmith and Fulham
More than 100 e-bikes were seized by Hammersmith and Fulham Council in August last year after complaints from residents that they were blocking roads and pavements.
But police were then called in after contractors working for Lime went into the council’s pound to snatch back 70 after using GPS to track their position.
The authority said this left them ‘extremely disappointed’, but Lime later claimed it was done without the firm’s permission and the workers involved had been sacked.
Westminster City Council
Some 20,000 e-bike journeys are now made every day through Westminster, where the council has now introduced 350 parking bays in an attempt to avoid the cycles being abandoned on the pavement.
However, the authority told it was still concerned about ‘irresponsible parking’ and said there needed to be a regulatory framework for councils to control the hire schemes on its streets.
Paul Dimoldenberg, its cabinet member for city management and air quality, said: ‘Ultimately this is about public safety. Cycling is a great way to get around our city, but we need to keep pavements clear and accessible for everyone.’
Wandsworth Council
Riders are now banned from abandoning e-bikes on town centre pavements in Wandsworth after it finished installing 111 parking bays.
The zones were installed in Clapham Junction, Tooting Broadway, Tooting Bec, Wandsworth, Balham and Putney town centres.
The council said ‘free-floating’ parking would still be allowed in quieter parts of the borough away from traffic hotspots.
Following the announcement in June, Lime said the ‘flexible parking rules help to avoid issues with pavement obstructions whilst ensuring shared e-bikes remain easy to use’.
And the authority has now told Lime that it must remove its bikes by the end of October if it ‘continues to ignore Brent Council’s safety concerns and suggestions for improvements to the scheme’.
These requests include the introduction of dedicated e-bike parking bays, which would be dedicated, cordoned-off areas in high footfall zones such as stations, town centres, employment areas and other visitor attractions.
A ‘no parking zone’ would also be introduced in all other areas of the borough with any e-bikes left in this zone removed by Lime in an agreed timeframe.
This aspect presents a problem for Lime’s business model, as it wants riders to be able to hire a bike and park it near their starting point and destination – wherever that is.
Brent added that more resources would be required so that any e-bikes reported to be inconsiderately parked or abandoned are removed quickly.
The council also wants Lime to increase penalties for users who fail to leave their e-bikes in the correct location, given the current fine of £10 is not an ‘adequate deterrent’.
In addition, Brent has asked Lime to provide local training, jobs and community events as part of its activities in the borough, including a residents’ forum so people can share their views on the scheme.
Mr Butt said: ‘Lime bikes left scattered across our streets are causing havoc for other road users, especially for pedestrians and disabled people.
‘Residents have gone sour on Lime and the council is receiving repeated, regular complaints about the bikes left across paths and roads in a haphazard way.
‘This is putting unsustainable pressure on council staff who are spending time cleaning up after Lime. Something needs to change as the current situation is unsustainable and leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.’
The move has been welcomed by the National Federation of the Blind of the UK (NFBUK), which said the e-bikes are dangerous to the blind, partially sighted people and other pedestrians.
A spokeswoman told : ‘We are looking forward to the removal of Lime e-bikes at the end of October as it is clear the dockless business model simply does not work.
‘These bikes are easily hacked which mean they can be left anywhere, plus anyone can knock them over or they can be blown over in the wind.
‘All causing danger and obstruction of pedestrian spaces as well as trip hazards for blind and visually impaired people as well as many other pedestrians using pavements and public spaces.’
She added: ‘We know wheelchair users who are having to reroute due to pavements being blocked and we know blind people who have tripped over them and been injured, as well as not being able to use green man pedestrian crossings safely due them being blocked by these bikes.
Brent Council has written to Lime proposing the following changes to its service, amid a threat that it will otherwise evict the firm by October 31:
The introduction of dedicated e-bike parking bays
This would ensure e-bikes are parked safely in dedicated, cordoned-off areas which attract a high number of journeys and with high footfall, such as stations, town centres, employment areas and other visitor attractions. A ‘no parking zone’ would be introduced in all other areas of the borough with any e-bikes left in this zone removed by Lime in an agreed timeframe. This would also support a new London-wide e-mobility contract being developed by Transport for London, London Councils and boroughs to make the usage of e-bikes and e-scooters safer and more consistent across the capital. Planned to launch in 2026, a central element of the scheme is a requirement to provide dedicated, controlled parking for rental e-bikes and e-scooters.
Dedicated in-borough resources to manage day-to-day operations
Dedicated local resources would help ensure that any e-bikes reported to be inconsiderately parked or abandoned be removed swiftly, which is not currently the case. Brent has also requested that Lime increases penalties for users who fail to leave their e-bikes in the correct location from the current fine which is set at £10 and which the council does not feel provides an adequate deterrent.
A commitment from Lime to give back to the local community
In line with the council’s commitment to all its partnerships adding value to the local community, the council asked Lime to consider providing local training and employment opportunities and community engagement events as part of its activities in the borough. This would include a Brent Resident Forum where users and non-users can meet with the council and Lime to share their views on how the scheme is working locally and any improvements.
‘The business model simply does not work. The bikes need to be docked and locked off the pavement like the Santander ones, this will ensure riders will also not ride on the pavement to dock them. Until this happens the e-bikes need to be removed not just from Brent, but all across London.’
‘We also understand the £10 fine goes back to Lime – so what real incentive do Lime have to sort this mess out? It’s utterly bonkers. The council should be allowed to issue a penalty notice on the rider or Lime, as self-regulation is never effective.’
One anonymous Brent resident also told BBC News that children would often tip the e-bikes over, adding: ‘They’re gathered around laughing… they pull them in the way. People don’t have respect for community assets.’
And Clive Wood, campaigns manager at Guide Dogs UK, told : ‘Guide Dogs welcomes the approach Brent Council is taking. For vision impaired and other pedestrians, poorly parked and dumped rental bikes can be a significant barrier to using pavements independently.
‘Everyone should feel safe when walking along our footpaths without the worry of encountering obstacles such as e-bikes blocking their way. This can result in someone with sight loss having no choice other than to walk into the road and the risks that can bring’.
Brent said Lime has not yet done enough in response to its requests for improvements.
Mr Butt added: ‘To date, Lime has not satisfied our proposals, which we consider vital to ensuring the safe and efficient operation of the scheme in Brent. Unless Lime changes the way it works with us, we are out of road for its activities in Brent.’
So far Brent has created about ten ‘pilot’ parking bays and hopes to eventually increase the total to 100, MailOnlione understands.
However, this is just over two bays per sq km (0.4 sq miles), which is significantly below the recommended density given by independent experts of 25 bays per sq km.
Henry Lancashire, joint co-ordinator of the Brent Cycling Campaign, part of the London Cycling Campaign, told that the group was ‘disappointed’ by the decision.
He added: ‘Lime and Brent Council must work together and stop this counterproductive blame game. As the highway authority, Brent Council has the power to solve the challenges around shared e-bike parking: the solution is to provide sufficient marked bike parking areas on the road in problem areas, enforced in collaboration with the hire bike operator.
‘We are surprised, given that other London boroughs have successfully addressed this issue for some time. Removing a popular zero emissions transport option is not the answer.’
Tom Fyans, chief executive of the London Cycling Campaign, added: ‘We welcome the increased number of people cycling in London using bike hire schemes including Lime, and encourage all councils and operators to work together to maximise the opportunity for more Londoners to use them safely and responsibly.
‘We urgently call on all councils to work with operators to increase parking provision to meet rising demand so that hire bikes continue to play their role in bringing the joy of cycling to more and more Londoners’
Some 1.25million riders took more than 12million trips on Lime bikes across London between 2019 and last year.
Rival firm Forest operates on a smaller scale with around 10,000 dockless e-bikes.
Transport for London (TfL) has about 15,000 Santander Cycles which must be docked in ranks. These are commonly known as ‘Boris bikes’ after Boris Johnson who was Mayor when they were introduced in 2010.
TfL is currently working on a London-wide policy for dockless bike operators and e-scooters, but this is not expected to come into force until 2026.
And a spokeswoman for Mayor Sadiq Khan, who is the self-appointed chair of TfL, said his team were working with councils in London to address the issue.
She told : ‘We know that poor e-bike parking can cause significant safety issues for some Londoners, particularly disabled and older people.
‘Our experience from the existing e-scooter trial shows that well-managed and regulated schemes can be successful in mitigating such issues while still providing an attractive green transport alternative.
‘We are working with London Councils and London’s boroughs to explore a coordinated scheme to manage dockless e-bikes and e-scooters and additional enforcement mechanisms for poorly parked e-bikes.’
Brent said it now awaited a response to a letter to Lime, and has provided formal pre-emptive notice that all e-bikes must be removed from the borough by October 31.
Mr Butt said: ‘It’s high time Lime takes responsibility for its service and users. We want Lime to take ours and residents’ concerns seriously and amend its operating model to account for the common-sense asks we have made.’
But a Lime spokesman responded by telling : ‘We are proud to have run a successful shared e-bike service in Brent for the last six years, with tens of thousands of local residents now using Lime to make essential journeys in the borough.
‘We understand the critical importance of maintaining a safe service and avoiding pavement obstructions and are committed to working with the council to deliver the required improvements to extend our operations here.
‘It is possible to move to a mandatory parking model in Brent, but the council needs to install a sufficient number of parking locations for people to park at.
‘We need these locations in order to maintain a tidy and easy to use service that can continue to contribute to the council’s active travel goals. We can support this process by providing trip data and infrastructure funding.’