Dockless bikes dumped in Westminster to be seized

Westminster Council says "hundreds" of bikes are left blocking pavements and roads every day

Council officers have been told to seize rental bicycles left blocking pavements around central London.

Hundreds of bikes are being left on roads and pavements creating a "significant safety risk", Westminster City Council said.

Transport for London's (TfL) hire scheme requires bikes to be docked, but private companies allow them to be left wherever the user's journey ends.

The action follows a spike in bikes left strewn across the city.

'Obstacle course'

Pedestrians and wheelchairs users are being forced off pavements and on to the road, the local authority said.

Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) discarded bikes were "potentially dangerous, especially for those with disabilities."

He added: "Trying to walk down some of our streets has become like attempting an obstacle course and we are fed up finding these bikes dumped across the city.

"We've contacted the major dockless bike operators and made it clear that if they don't remove their bikes from the pavement, the council will - and we'll charge them for doing so."

One of London's dockless e-bike hire operators Lime says it has never deployed bikes in Westminster

Any funds raised by the action would go towards improving cycling infrastructure in the borough, Mr Dimoldenberg said.

Westminster Council said it believed the problem had grown throughout the year, as more people return to the city following the end of Covid-19 restrictions.

The mayor of London recently said dockless bike hire was "unregulated" and there was "no legal framework" for hire companies to operate within.

Bikes hired through TfL's scheme have to be docked

Lime, one of London's dockless e-bike hire operators, has said it is committed to working with councils and other operators to "resolve these issues".

The government is expected to outline a legal framework for dockless bike hire in the upcoming Transport Bill, which is also expected to include legislation around e-scooter hire.

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