Lime Bikes Add to Dockless Bike Proliferation
Concern grows over problems caused by carelessly discarded bikes
Dockless hire bikes in Ealing borough
The roll out of another dockless bike scheme in Ealing borough has led to renewed concerns about obstruction being caused by riders not taking care when finished with them.
Ealing and Brent are the two boroughs in which the California based company, Lime, are launching in London and they had a target of over 1,000 electric-assisted hire bikes in operation by the end of last year.
The green bikes carry an electric battery which can power them up to 15mph. They are more expensive to hire than the non-powered orange Mobikes costing £1 to hire, with a 15p surcharge for every minute of use. As with the other dockless scheme riders can discard the bike and end the hire simply by locking it.
General manager for Lime UK, Jaanaki Momaya, said, “We believe our emission-free, affordable, accessible and convenient e-bikes will revolutionise transport around London.”
The launch comes just after Chinese-based Mobike scaled back their operations in the borough with their bikes transferred from the Ealing area into other parts of the borough such as Acton and Chiswick. This has led to a significant increase to the number of bikes deposited in these areas which has been welcomed by users of the scheme but attracted the ire of other residents who allege that bikes are regularly found blocking pavements. Hounslow Council has said that it is reviewing the operation of Mobike in its borough saying the service “to date has not consistently met with aspirations." The trial period for the scheme is due to end next month. The borough has chosen not to allow Lime bikes to operate in their area.
Liberal Democrat councillor Andrew Steed has also raised the issue of Mobikes being parked amongst cycle racks. He said that recently, on the Ealing side of Turnham Green in Chiswick , there were 24 Mobikes parked amongst cycle racks. He felt the concentration of bikes was excessive and taking up space on the cycle stands which were meant to be used by other residents.
Cllr Steed has been told by Ealing Council that the Lime bikes have now started the trial on a smaller scale than Mobikes. As part of the Council’s commitment to mode shift and improving air quality, it was felt that additional operators could be beneficial, although the total number of bicycles would be capped.
Councillor Julian Bell, leader of Ealing Council and chair of London Council’s transport and environment committee, called the e-bikes “a vital part of our strategy for reducing emissions, improving air quality and protecting the environment”.
January 3, 2019