30 Jun

E-Bike Nuisance & Removal

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Please see the message below from John Wade (Head of Parking Services)

E-bike hire is an important way of encouraging healthy and safe travel but when they are parked badly, this can cause problems. The council recognises this so the Leader has therefore written to all four operators outlining our concerns and has requested that they take action in addressing these issues.

We have limited legal powers in this area. We have entered into voluntary agreements with two of the e-bike providers (Lime and Human Forest) but they are just that – voluntary – so we can only hold them to what we can get them to agree to. We do not have an agreement with the other two operators (Tier and Dott).

We are proactively managing the deployment of e-bikes in the borough as best we can with the limited powers that we have available in the absence of legislation through:

  • Implementation of 130 parking bays providing capacity for 900 bikes (the majority are on the carriageway)
  • Removal of bikes causing an obstruction/nuisance, as determined in the respective legislation, within 2hrs of being reported. We have removed and will continue to remove bikes at the cost of all four operators if not removed within 2hrs
  • All four operators have agreed not to deploy in estates
  • Weekly performance review meetings with the operators
  • Monthly sharing of data (usage etc)

Our long-term aspiration is for these bikes to be parked in designated bays on the carriageway. We are rolling out more parking stations to reduce the number of bikes being parked on the footway.

How to have an abandoned e-bike removed

If you see a bike causing an obstruction (for example blocking the footway, blocking a crossing) please report it by sending a picture to the relevant operator listed below and copy in highways@southwark.gov.uk. Bike rides may be ended anywhere outside a no-parking zone and not all parking on the footway or carriageway is obstructive.

We are participating in the pan London e-scooter trial until May 2024, this trial is being led and managed by Transport for London whom have contracted three operators to participate in the trial. E-scooters should only be parked in dedicated parking bays, please report those that are not to:

Regards,

John Wade

Head of Parking Services and Network Management
Southwark Council
PO Box 64529
London
SE1P 5LX

Categories: Brandon News