Wandsworth: E-bikes to be seized without action by operator Lime

A south London council will seize e-bikes by the end of the week unless urgent action is taken by the operator.

Wandsworth town centre was "impassable" last weekend, the council leader said, due to Lime bikes obstructing streets.

Simon Hogg demanded the operator improved efforts to remove them after pedestrians were seen being forced into the road.

Lime UK said it had introduced various new measures to prevent bikes clustering up busy areas.

Wandsworth Council does not have an agreement with Lime to operate the bikes in Wandsworth, but they are ridden into the busy town centre from neighbouring boroughs.

Mr Hogg said he had received a flurry of complaints, as the bikes docked in the middle of the street are a hazard to people in wheelchairs and with prams.

In August, Westminster City Council also made a bid to seize rented e-bikes provided by various companies strewn across central London.

A month later, in September, the The National Federation of the Blind of the UK (NFBUK) said that blind people were being put off visiting central London's attractions due to "dangerous and awkward" dumped e-bikes.

In a letter to Wayne Ting, CEO of Lime, Mr Hogg said e-bikes provided a "convenient and sustainable form of travel" but were "causing unacceptable obstructions" on pavements in the borough.

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."

He added that officers would take the bikes away on Friday if no action was taken.

Hal Stevenson, senior public affairs manager at Lime UK said their measures to resolve the situation included GPS-based no parking zones, mandatory end trip photos to help review rider parking, an enhanced system of rider education, warnings, fines, bans, to double the team retrieving the bikes, and a London-wide best-parking-practice campaign.

He added: "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-scooters until autumn 2023.

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