E-bike hire schemes 'like Wild West', mayor says

A Lime bike parked in Islington is not ideally placed for other pavement users

Dockless hired e-bikes are popular, convenient and emit zero emissions, and micro-mobility is often seen as the solution to transport in cities.

But the sector is unregulated. There are concerns over injuries and road safety with a cohort of newer cyclists using the bikes.

And one of the biggest headaches is where they park - dockless meaning they can be left pretty much anywhere.

Pavements are blocked and there is criticism the rollout of the bikes has not been matched with infrastructure.

A Lime bike outside the entrance of Finsbury Park station

The biggest bike hire operator in London is the Californian tech giant Lime - with 50,000 or so bikes in the capital.

One council that has really embraced the phenomenon is Hackney, which recently announced a fee with the operator Voi for 30 minutes would be the same as a bus: £1.75.

Lime is also offering discounted rides if you buy one of its memberships.

Sarah Young from Hackney Council said by making e-bike hire the same cost as a bus fare, the authority was supporting more people to take up cycling.

She said tougher measures would be brought in to ensure bikes are parked responsibly.

Parking compliance would be monitored, and the operators held to account if any issues were identified.

John Thornton says lime bike parking makes his life "impossible"

Not everyone buys into the Lime dream.

John Thornton from Hackney Disability Backup uses a wheelchair and said the dockless pavement parking made it so difficult for him to get around he was "fearful about leaving the house".

"Lime bikes are parked in the street, and outside all the shops and stations, and in the main road and all the side streets as well.

"The fundamental right to pass without hindrance is systematically being violated by Lime's business model.

"The ancient common law principle essential to a functioning society is being sacrificed for corporate profit and political greed.

"I would like a stop on all dockless ebikes so that no bikes are being used except where there is a docking station."

Cliona O'Sullivan and Ben Gallagher have complained about an e-bike parking bay outside their home

The long-term plan is for dockless bikes to be parked in dedicated bays - thousands of which are planned across the capital.

They cause problems too - an e-bike parking bay installed by Islington Council near a popular pub led to piles of bikes, antisocial behaviour and vans collecting bikes in the early hours of the morning.

Resident Ben Gallagher said it was extremely disruptive: "There is a major issue with the integration of the service into civil society. My impression is Lime have been able to ride roughshod over all of the rules.

"They're able to do what they like, every other public service - and in fact citizen - has to abide by rules and they seem to break them all."

He said Lime were difficult to contact "if you're a just a citizen".

A sign asks riders "not to leave their hire bikes here"

He added: "Unless you are a rider they are not going to reply to you. Our understanding is the council have been trying very hard but it's also been very challenging for them.

"I get the impression that they don't care about the communities they are in but those are the communities that at the end of the day are funding the business model."

Cliona O'Sullivan, who also lives nearby, said she was being disturbed by the vans at about 01:00 every day.

"We lodged multiple complaints. Islington [council] said they couldn't even get hold of Lime to stop this.

"We did building work and we aren't allowed that after 17:00 - and they have vans coming round in the early hours. It's very strange."

The council has stopped bikes parking in the bay but vans still drop off bikes there in the middle of the night.

Lime bikes are redistributed across London using vans

Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said he thought it was "great that more and more Londoners are cycling, but it's the Wild West".

"Regulation has not caught up with the pace of people's desire to use cycle hire bikes," he said.

"One council has a certain set of rules, another council doesn't allow the bikes, another council has a different set of rules.

"We should have one system across London and we are lobbying the government to have a pan-London system of regulation."

Lime bikes piled up at a parking bay in Islington

Tom Fyans from the London Cycling Campaign agreed a London-wide system was needed, calling the current situation a "free-for-all".

"We need better parking, we need everyone working together to make sure the infrastructure is in place.

"We just need to keep up with demand."

Any change may take some time.

The English Devolution Bill currently going through Parliament will give Transport for London the powers to regulate and license dockless e-bikes.

It could get the powers to remove all e-bikes if they are not parked in a designated parking bay, and fine the operators.

At the moment operators can only be fined if the bikes block pavements.

Supporters say a similar trial with e-scooters had a 90% compliance rate.

Lime said it recognised a significant challenge in e-bike parking and they "never want our bikes to get in anyone's way".

The company said it "helped fund" more than 3,250 parking bays in London, increased their on-street team, and continue to work with councils, including Hackney and Islington.

At the moment though, for the some the dream of Lime micro-mobility in the capital has gone very sour.