Sadiq Khan to crack down on ‘Wild West’ of Lime bikes in London
Key Points
- Sadiq Khan has announced a new plan to regulate all dockless e-bikes in London under a single ruleset.
- The new framework aims to crack down on the 'Wild West' of e-bikes in the capital, which have often left pavements cluttered with bikes and people riding irresponsibly.
- The Mayor said he would end the patchwork approach to regulating e-bikes by borough, with some boroughs today banning certain operators and each having their own regulations.
- The new plan to improve e-bike safety and accessibility across the city requires new powers to be provided to the Mayor by the Department for Transport, with legislation to this effect now under consultation.
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is getting new powers to better regulate dockless e-bikes in London such as those from Lime, Forest, and Voi.
Lime is the largest dockless e-bike operating in the capital overall, although other companies enjoy a dominant local position in a few boroughs, such as Richmond and Hounslow, which have banned Lime from their streets.
Boroughs in London often have different rules governing dockless e-bikes, requiring them to park only in certain areas, and sometimes forbidding the operation of all but one company’s bikes.
Khan has set out a new plan for the regulation of micromobility in London, which includes new powers he is expected to be provided by the Department of Transport to overrule conflicting and patchwork borough-by-borough rules governing the riding and parking of e-bikes in the city.
Khan’s new framework will establish a London-wide ruleset for the dockless bikes, with the aim of improving safety and parking, managing the number of bikes on the streets, and strengthening the links of micromobility schemes to public transport.
Safety is a central element of the new plan for e-bikes in the city. The framework will create a set of standards that apply city-wide, promoting well-maintained vehicles and responsible behaviour, as well as ensuring these rules are enforced effectively.
Poorly parked bikes, which are often seen cluttering the pavements of London’s streets, will also be a subject of the Mayor’s crackdown on e-bikes. The new framework explicitly focuses on protecting pedestrian spaces.
The need for regulation governing dockless e-bikes is becoming more apparent as cycling becomes more popular in London each year. Daily bike trips in the capital are up by 43% since 2019, making it the fastest-growing form of transport in the city.
The Mayor noted concerns around dockless e-bikes creating accessibility problems for many, as well as issues over unsafe riding, collisions, and the limited protection available for those injured in incidents involving e-bikes.
“The ‘Wild West’ approach to dockless e-bikes cannot continue,” Khan said.
“While these services are helping thousands more Londoners to cycle, their rapid growth has also brought challenges around safety, inconsiderate parking, and the lack of data needed to properly manage them.”
“For too long, cities have been left without the tools needed to properly manage these services, despite clear evidence that the current approach is not working,” he said.
“It’s now vital that the Department for Transport moves quickly to bring forward the secondary legislation needed to make these powers a reality. London cannot afford further delays.”
Further secondary legislation and Government guidance is required before Khan’s new licensing framework can be implemented, and the Department for Transport and the Secretary of State are expected to consult on this in the near future.
