Lime Bikes and the roster of other e-cycles around the city are largely a great thing for getting around in the city. They may cause some clutter on the street, but their providence of an environmentally friendly, easy-to-use mode of travel has no doubt improved the sustainability of London transport.
Things can always improve, however, and Lewisham council is introducing measures that mean users of Lime Bikes will be obliged to leave the bicycles in designated parking bays. It is hoped that this will help tackle blockages on the pavement caused by the rented bikes.
How do the Lime Bike parking bays work?
Around 300 of these spots will be installed in Lewisham, which will mean that cyclists will be forced to end their ride in one of the bays – if users try to finish up outside of the zones, the meter will continue to run.
Speaking about the new measures, Councillor Louise Krupski, Lewisham’s cabinet member for environment and climate action, said: “Dockless hire bike schemes are a great way to promote active travel, provided they are managed properly.
“By agreeing this new partnership with Lime, we can support people in Lewisham to make more journeys using hire bikes, as well as addressing existing issues with inconsiderate parking and discarded bikes.”
These measures add to those put in place by the boroughs of Hackney, Kensington and Chelsea, Camden, and Westminster to prevent docking the bikes anywhere and everywhere.
These bays will be put in place over the next six months in the London borough, with the northern areas of Lewisham commencing first, before the installation heads south. Will this catch on for other London boroughs? It remains to be seen whether other boroughs will adopt the same method if successful, but for now, remember to check on the whereabouts of the bays when they are introduced gradually — or you’ll be simply told: sir, you cannot park here by a phone screen. And nobody likes being told what to do by a screen that lives in their pocket (unless it’s telling you to go somewhere really quite great in London, of course).