Lambeth council has repeatd its call, first made a year ago, for laws to ensure that dockless hire electric bikes, should be made safer and more accessible to all.
Unlike Transport for London’s (TfL) Santander hire bikes, there are no docking stations for electric bikes like those operated by Lime and Forest,
Lambeth council says dockless hire electric bikes should only be parked in dedicated spaces off the pavement. There is currently no law to enforce this.
The council first called on central government last summer to give councils the powers needed to tackle this issue. That call has now been restated to MPs amid growing concern about electric bikes and scooters strewn across pavements all over London.
Lambeth council reached a voluntary agreement with operators last year that dockless hire electric bikes must be parked in one of 240 bays installed across the borough.
Because this is only a voluntary agreement, concerns persist and many riders ignore it.
Cllr Rezina Chowdhury, Lambeth council’s deputy leader (sustainable Lambeth and clean air), today (17 September) spoke at the all-party group of MPs on walking and cycling and called for urgent regulation of the industry.
“I explained that we remain concerned about dockless hire e-bikes being left on the pavement because they can cause a real hazard, especially if you’re a wheelchair user, visually impaired or pushing a buggy or pram,” she said.
“The measures we have taken to date are only on a voluntary basis.
“Despite efforts in Lambeth and by other London boroughs, we lack the legal power needed to control how these bikes operate on our streets.
“We are continuing calls for the government to give councils, or Transport for London, the power to act to really tackle this situation.
“Supporting active travel is vital to help tackle the climate crisis, and we are committed to borough-wide cycle hire.
“Dockless hire bikes are important if we are to achieve that without spending lots of extra money. But, providing access to bikes is not enough, we need to ensure people are safe on our streets.”
Lambeth council said it has already invested heavily in making it easier for people to get around by walking, cycling, wheeling and using public transport, with protected bike lanes, school streets and healthy neighbourhood projects.
Earlier this month, the council set out its plans to make neighbourhoods safer and healthier for all, especially local children, the vulnerable and the elderly.
The council said Lambeth still has some of the country’s most polluted air, lacks outdoor space for exercise and socialising for the many local people who live in flats, and dangerous roads resulting in too many people getting injured.
To address this, the council’s Healthy Neighbourhood Plan sets out to build on work already undertaken in Lambeth, and to work alongside local residents to create a better future, the council said.
Wake up London officials! Tfl and boroughs like Lambeth have the solution to the Lime bike overpopulation in their hands! TfL runs its own ebikes which are actually a superior ride to Lime and are capable of taking a big chunk of Lime’s customer base (which would mean less dockless bikes ‘horrifying’ the London public).
The obstacle? See above, where the author writes “unlike TfL Santander (with all it’s docking stations)” implying that docking stations are commonplace across town. Does the councillor or author really believe as this implies that the boroughs of south London are plentifully served by TfL docking stations? Have they checked? Have a look at Tfl’s own map. There are almost none beyond the narrowest strip covering central tourist spots not much further than Waterloo and the south bank, places either already in zone 1, very close to the river or existing Northern line tube stops. You won’t find anywhere to park a TfL bike southwards of bermondsey, south and eastwards of Elephant/Walworth or anywhere south or east of Brixton station or Clapham south. If TfL and the south London boroughs would build a proper network that travellers could depend on, it would yield a profitable slice of this emerging market for the taxpayers. Why not beat the competition instead of whining to Whitehall to be allowed to penalise, restrict and hamper innovation?
Unfortunately when the solution involves officials having to be constructive instead of just lazily sniping at the media’s new favourite scapegoat, they go quiet.