Islington Council has announced new parking bays and restrictions for dockless bikes as it looks to address concerns about safety, noise and obstruction to public spaces.
By Josef Steen
Islington Council has announced new parking bays and restrictions for dockless bikes as it looks to address concerns about safety, noise and obstruction to public spaces.
Last night (25 February) councillors at the environment scrutiny committee heard the new plans laid out in full as officials explained how they were working with suppliers to curb London’s “explosion” of e-bikes, as Cllr James Potts put it.
Eshwyn Prabhu, Islington’s head of transport strategy and air quality, said that these hired bikes were an important part of the borough’s active travel plans and emissions goals, but their “huge growth had been quite problematic”.
He was joined by representatives from Lime and Forest, the latter of whom admitted struggling to cope with the ever-rising demand for their product.
In the absence of a legal framework for dealing with clusters of bikes blocking the borough’s streets, the Town Hall says it has now installed 78 micromobility bays due to go live in the next few months – with hundreds more planned for use by summer 2025.
Working with suppliers, the local authority is also introducing measures to shrink the size of fleets and reduce noise.
This includes having operators first seek permission from the council before putting more bikes on the street.
Council data taken from as recently as January estimates that the number of e-bike trips in the borough had increased by roughly 250 per cent in three years.
The new infrastructure is being partially paid for by Lime, who have announced £5 million investment across the capital.
For Islington in particular, Lime says it has put eight more team members on the streets to tidy bikes and remove “excess” vehicles, and is also planning new incentives for riders to move bikes from overcrowded areas through offering discounts and other rewards.
Green Cllr Caroline Russell praised the new policy but cautioned that in certain ‘hotspot’ areas like Newington Green, location of bays was crucial.
She gave the example of users parking dockless bikes on the pavement, which seems in turn to lead to more pavement cycling as the next customers mount the vehicles.
But the plans were not received with enthusiasm by all.
When asked if she had any questions, Cllr Clare Jeapes (Labour, Canonbury) refused to commen
“There are an awful lot of things about Lime bikes I’d rather not say.”
