London council to ban leaving e-bikes on pavements

David Tidley from Wandsworth Council said e-bikes cause issues when parked inconsiderately

Riders will be banned from abandoning e-bikes on busy town centre pavements in a south London borough under a new scheme.

Wandsworth Council will bring the ban into force once it has finished installing 111 parking bays for e-bikes across the borough.

The scheme aims to deal with issues created from when rental e-bikes are left parked on pavements, blocking routes for pedestrians.

E-bike operator Forest said it was "thrilled to be formally partnering" with the council, and Lime UK said the "flexible parking rules help to avoid issues with pavement obstructions whilst ensuring shared e-bikes remain easy to use".

Parking bays are being created throughout the borough where e-bikes can be left

Installation of the parking bays - including Clapham Junction, Tooting Broadway, Tooting Bec, Wandsworth, Balham and Putney town centres - began on Thursday and the council expects to complete the works in about four weeks.

The authority said e-bike parking will be banned on pavements in busy town centre locations once all the bays have been installed.

It added "free-floating" parking will still be allowed away from these hotspots and in quieter parts of the borough, with more parking bays expected by the end of the year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

David Tidley, head of transport strategy at the council, said the borough supports the use of e-bikes as a "convenient travel option" for residents and visitors, but they cause issues when parked inconsiderately.

Asked by BBC London how the "busy" areas will be defined, the council said a zone has been agreed around the town centre bays which will be shown on the operators' apps, and a map will be uploaded to the council website showing the two different zones once the scheme is live.

The council added operators will also use in-app messaging to explain the two zones in the borough and will show riders where the closest parking bay is.

It follows a previous dispute between Wandsworth council and Lime.

Council officers began seizing bikes in November 2022 after leader Simon Hogg said they had made Wandsworth town centre "impassable" one weekend.

Similar issues have also been reported in other parts of London, including in Westminster, and in Hounslow where residents complained about an e-bike parking scheme trial.

The National Federation of the Blind of the UK (NFBUK) had also said in 2022 many visually impaired people were unable to travel confidently and were put off visiting central London's attractions due to "dangerous and awkward" e-bikes dumped on pavements.

Alex Berwin, head of policy at Forest, has said the company is "thrilled to be formally partnering with Wandsworth Council" for the scheme.

"This agreement will allow for the borough's residents, commuters and visitors to continue accessing our sustainable and affordable e-bike service, as well as provide safe and convenient spaces for e-bikes in the borough's high-footfall locations," he added.

Hal Stevenson, director of policy at Lime, has said the firm is "proud" to work with the council on the "flexible parking system".

He continued: "It follows the recommendations from the recent Steer and Centre for London report; for less central boroughs to provide dedicated parking locations in busy areas and allow for non-obstructive parking - including at bike racks - elsewhere."