TfL to fine firms whose electric bikes block pavements

Dockless e-bike companies will be fined when their cycles block roads and spaces outside underground stations under a new crackdown by Transport for London (TfL).

The capital’s transport operator has published a new enforcement policy to tackle the growing problem of dumped bikes cluttering walkways throughout the capital, which will include fines of £50 for each bike found blocking a walkway.

The policy will cover TfL land, which includes areas such as station forecourts and bus garages, as well as along pavements on its red route road network, which makes up just 5% of all roads in the capital but carries up to 30% of the city’s traffic.

TfL has said the enforcement action will be “proportionate” but will range from warnings, to fixed-penalty notices, to the removal of vehicles, to prosecution.

Fixed-penalty notices of £50 for illegally parked bikes that block pavements will be issued directly to companies, with these rising to £100 if not paid within 14 days.

It comes as the number of dockless bikes in the capital has soared in recent years, since Obike launched the first scheme in 2017.

While official numbers have not been published, the city’s two biggest operators, Lime and Forest, run about 30,000 and 15,000 bikes respectively.

TfL said dockless e-bikes were an important part of London’s transport network but problematic parking was leading to safety issues, particularly for elderly and disabled people, and this was being exacerbated by the recent increase in fleet sizes. It said there had been a particular growth in fleets in the past 12 months.

The use of dockless e-bikes has soared globally in recent years, and Lime, the world’s biggest operator, runs schemes in 230 cities around the world since launching in 2017.

A number of UK cities now run dockless schemes, including Oxford, Manchester and Swansea.

Oxfordshire city council created a code of conduct in 2017 for companies operating in Oxford to try to reduce the incidents of vehicles blocking walkways.

Westminster city council launched a scheme last year to set up docking stations for bikes across the borough, with operators being fined if riders did not use them. Other boroughs such as Islington, Hammersmith and Fulham, and the City of London have created similar schemes.

Alongside the new enforcement policy, TfL has announced that it aims to spend £1m for boroughs to create 7,500 parking spaces for dockless e-bikes.

It has also called on the government to bring in legislation that would give transport bodies more powers to regulate and manage dockless services.

Caroline Seton, the co-founder and chief legal officer at Forest, said: “Sadly not everyone in the dockless bike industry has lived up to the standards we’ve set, which is why we believe it is time for the government to take action and give TfL the powers needs to enforce high standards across the industry.”

Clive Wood, from the charity Guide Dogs, said: “We have heard from many vision impaired people in London that they have to try to navigate around inconsiderately parked rental e-scooter and e-bikes on a regular basis.

“I hope operators will work with TfL to ensure the updated policy makes a difference.”