New powers are set to end the “Wild West” model for dockless e-bikes and stop them blocking London’s pavements.
Under Government proposals set to be announced on Monday, the Mayor will able to introduce fines for cycle and scooter operators and users who dump their devices haphazardly.
Councils across the capital have received thousands of complaints about the electric bicycles, which riders pick up on the street and rent via a phone app, after they exploded in popularity in recent years.
Users are not usually required to park them in a designated area after use, meaning they are often dumped to clog up pavements and roads.
It has prompted some boroughs to introduce fines and even threaten to ban cycle hire companies, such as Lime, from their streets altogether.
However imposing restrictions has been difficult because rules vary across the city’s 33 local authorities.
Westminster sees the highest number of e-bike hires in the world, with 630,000 trips taking place in the borough every month. The council has installed 360 parking bays and welcomed new powers to crackdown on operators.
Kensington and Bayswater MP Joe Powell said: “This is the beginning of the end for the Wild West model of dockless e-bikes in London.
“A better managed and regulated e-bike system will encourage more Londoners onto bikes, and prevent people with disabilities and buggies battling nuisance parking.”
Adam Hug, leader of Westminster City Council, added: “The e-bike and scooter phenomenon exploded over recent years, to the point where Westminster has the most e-bike journeys in the world, with over 2,800 bikes per hour peddling around our streets per hour at peak times.
“While we support active travel, we all know our pavements are at points a dumping ground for abandoned bikes, which can make getting around a problem for the visually impaired, wheelchair users and others with special needs.
“Westminster council has championed the cause of e-bike regulation and lobbied the Government to act after the failure of the previous transport bill to deliver.
“That void left us with a patchwork quilt of different schemes across the capital, and e-bikes don’t navigate by local authority boundaries.
“I am glad this White Paper paves the way for Mayors and transport authorities to get the powers they need to implement a sensible scheme for e-bikes rather sooner.”
There have also been a number of recent accidents involving the bikes, which can reach up to 15.5 miles per hour. Anette Collins was mown down by a Lime Bike while walking her dogs in north London in July, while Private Eye editor Ian Hislop was hit while crossing the road on Wednesday, leaving him needing medical treatment.
Hal Stevenson, Director for Policy at Lime, said record demand its bikes has “created parking challenges in London” that the company is “working to resolve by increasing the size of our on the ground, investing in more technology and dedicated parking infrastructure”
He added: “Devolving more powers to local authorities to establish and manage popular shared e-bike and e-scooter schemes is a positive step.
“However, in the context of ambitious national and local travel targets, it is crucial that we collaborate with national and local government to ensure that any changes made do not hinder people’s ability to cycle.
“We remain committed to working in partnership with local authorities to ensure our e-bikes and e-scooters contribute positively to communities.”
The e-bikes move is part of a local government overhaul announced by Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner on Monday.
Under the plans, dozens of councils will also be abolished, with some district authorities being merged to cut bureaucracy.
The changes in the English Devolution White Paper will also transfer more powers to regional mayors around planning and transport.
