Lime bikes to remain in Brent as agreement reached

Brent Council's leader had said Lime bikes were "causing havoc" for pedestrians and disabled people

Lime e-bikes will remain in a north-west London borough after the company addressed concerns made by the local council.

Brent Council had warned the firm it must remove its e-bikes from the borough by 31 October if it did not meet certain requests because they were being increasingly "inconsiderately parked and abandoned".

Under the agreement Lime must remove poorly-parked bikes within two hours of them being reported via a new email address, and will temporarily reduce the number of bikes from 750 to 500 in the borough.

Lime said the plan "demonstrates our commitment to working alongside Brent to provide long-term solutions".

As part of the agreement, the council said 200 designated parking bays would be introduced and enforced in phases in "priority areas" before 1 July 2025.

Lime must also introduce changes that prevent the parking of bikes in areas "where parking has frequently been poor", and it must consult the council before increasing the number of bikes in the borough again.

New automatic "slow zone" speed controls will be applied to bikes in busy hotspots such as the Wembley Stadium area and Wembley High Road.

There will also be additional monitoring of the service too, as Lime agreed to increase the number of cyclist patrollers and parking wardens by 78%, while a new resident cycling forum will be launched to provide monthly cycle training for locals.

The council said any fines for poor parking would be reinvested into the local community through the council’s Together Towards Zero grant scheme.

Krupa Sheth, Brent Council's cabinet member for environment and enforcement, said: "We’ve squeezed a number of really important improvements out of Lime, and it is welcome that they have listened to residents' feedback and are taking immediate steps to change.

"This council supports active travel, but safety is non-negotiable. We hope that we have turned a corner with Lime and expect residents to see real, noticeable improvements from now on.

"We will hold Lime to these new commitments to ensure they are honoured."

Hal Stevenson, director of policy at Lime in the UK, said: "Our significant investment in this network demonstrates our commitment to working alongside Brent to provide long-term solutions that address community concerns, while continuing to support their efforts to ensure more journeys in the borough are taken by bike."

The council said residents should report badly parked bikes to Lime directly on their website or through their app, by calling 0800 808 5223, or alternatively through a new email [e-mail].