Council Issues Ultimatum to Lime over Carelessly Discarded Bikes
Simon Hogg tells CEO any blocking pavements will be removed on Friday
Hire bikes owned by Lime left blocking the pavement
The leader of Wandsworth Council has issued an ultimatum to a bike hire company after a growing number of complaints about obstructed pavements.
Simon Hogg has written to the CEO of Lime Bikes, Wayne Ting, to warn him that the council will begin impounding his company’s bikes if they are found blocking pedestrians from this Friday (18 November).
‘Lime’ branded hire bikes that don’t need docking stations are increasingly being left on the borough’s pavements causing serious obstructions particularly for the disabled and people with young children.
In his letter Cllr Hogg states that while the council acknowledges the benefits of this “convenient and sustainable form of travel”, he continues, “however, as the current deployment of Lime bikes has been done without discussion with the Council, your bikes are causing unacceptable obstructions on our pavements.
“This is most acute in streets with pavements of limited width and high footfall and around our rail and underground stations. Some pavements have been impassable, particularly for wheelchair users and people with buggies and prams, who have had to move into the road in order to pass by.
“Wandsworth Council has agreed to provide dedicated parking bays for e-bikes and to enter into agreements with operators regarding their use, but more action is needed urgently by Lime to ensure your customers are using your bikes responsibly.
“I am therefore asking that you increase your efforts in distributing and redistributing bikes to avoid obstructing pavements, and that you provide stronger messages to riders and greater penalties for those who leave bikes in poor locations.
“I have instructed our council officers to remove all Lime bikes that are obstructing Wandsworth's streets on Friday of this week, 18th November 2022, unless steps are taken by Lime to make sure they are parked in a more considerate way.
“We would prefer not to take this action. However, we will not hesitate to do so – unless Lime takes immediate steps to operate in a more responsible way.”
Conservative opposition leader Cllr Will Sweet said, “Hire bikes are a great way to get
around but must be parked responsibly. Unfortunately, these bikes are often left blocking
pavements, making life difficult for residents with mobility needs, those with sight
impairments, and those with young children.
"I’m pleased the Council Leader is finally acting on our recommendations. Better late than
never. Whilst this is welcome progress, we need a long-term solution. Wandsworth
Conservatives’ petition called for the implementation of a three-point plan - the Council has
only committed to two of those three points. We now need the Council to act on the third
point, which is giving council officers the option of fining companies if they’d don’t ensure
compliance with the new designated bays.”
The bikes can be a nuisance for the disabled or people with prams and pushchairs
Speaking after the dispatch of his letter Cllr Hogg added, “We are actively encouraging cycling and other sustainable forms of transport but it is unhelpful for this company to simply drop thousands of bicycles on London’s streets without any warning or discussion beforehand.”
Hal Stevenson, Senior Public Affairs Manager of Lime UK responded by saying, “Lime understands the importance of not obstructing pavements and other shared spaces. It is vital that our service works for everyone sharing our streets. Though we have never deployed bikes in Wandsworth, we are currently seeing high numbers of vehicles ridden into the borough, as a result of record demand for the service from local residents and visitors.
"To address this we have introduced a number of policies to more effectively manage bikes left in the borough. These include: GPS-based no parking zones, mandatory end trip photos to help review rider parking, an enhanced system of rider education, warnings, fines and bans and a 50% increase in our out of warehouse team size to help retrieve obstructive vehicles even faster.
"We are focused on working with the Council to further improve user parking in the borough ahead of the launch of dedicated parking spaces for shared e-bikes, which will provide a long-term solution to these issues.”
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November 15, 2022