Wandsworth: Discarded e-bikes seized by council

Wandsworth council has begun seizing Lime e-bikes, after warning the operator to take "urgent action" over bikes blocking routes in the borough.

Council leader Simon Hogg said some parts of Wandsworth town were "impassable" due to discarded e-bikes.

In August Westminster City Council seized some dockless bikes due to the "significant safety risk".

Lime says it is taking steps to ensure its customers "don't negatively impact other people's journeys".

The council does not have an agreement with Lime to operate the bikes in the borough but they are ridden in to Wandsworth from neighbouring areas.

Members of the public have made numerous complaints to Lime on social media about bikes creating obstructions on pavements and roads across the capital.

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

On Friday morning, BBC London went out with a council street team which seized one bike that was causing an obstruction in Balham.

Meanwhile, staff from Lime had moved some poorly parked e-bikes to more suitable locations such as the bike racks outside Wandsworth Town station.

Lime's senior public affairs manager, Hal Stevenson, said it was "critical" for the company that its riders "don't negatively impact other people's journeys", adding Lime was taking several approaches to dealing with problems.

"We require users to take a photo of how they've left the bike and we will then check that photo," he said.

"If they parked obstructively, irresponsibly, they'll be warned and fined and if a user has been fined five times, they'll be banned.

"So we have an escalating process of warnings and fines and we can also use GPS zoning to control user behaviour around parking."

Mr Stevenson added that on average 80% of London riders who received one parking fine did not park obstructively again.

"We know that the measures we're taking are having an impact, and what we want to do is work with Wandsworth council to continue to deliver those and demonstrate that we can manage the service in a responsible way, ahead of those dedicated parking bays being introduced."

Council leader Mr Hogg said: "We hope that our action today spells out our determination to tackle this issue and sends a strong message that Lime must make sure their bikes are parked responsibly in our borough.

"These are early days and we will be actively monitoring the situation to make sure Lime doesn't let up in its efforts to ensure its customers park their bikes more carefully and considerately.

"We will continue to take action in the coming days and weeks."

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