Wandsworth council vows to seize all Lime e-bikes blocking streets

A south London council has warned it will remove all Lime e-bikes blocking streets by Friday unless urgent action is taken by the operator.

The leader of Wandsworth Council, Cllr Simon Hogg, has instructed council officers to remove the bikes unless steps are taken by the company to make sure they are parked in a more considerate way.

This comes after residents complained about the bikes blocking the pavements.

In a letter to Lime’s CEO Wayne Ting, Cllr Hogg said the deployment of the company’s e-bikes had been done so without discussion with the council and the bikes were blocking busy roads near rail and Tube 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,” he said.

He said: "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.

"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."

Hal Stevenson, Senior Public Affairs Manager at Lime, said: “We understand the importance of not obstructing pavements and other shared spaces, particularly for those with access needs.

“Though we have never deployed Lime bikes in Wandsworth, we are currently seeing high numbers of vehicles ridden into the borough by users as demand for sustainable and active transport grows.

“We are focused on working with the Council to further improve user parking in the borough through these policies ahead of the launch of dedicated parking spaces for shared e-bikes, which will provide a long term solution to these issues.”

Camden, City of London, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea, parts of Lambeth, Richmond, Southwark, Tower Hamlets and Westminster are all trialling e-bikes until autumn 2023.