Cyclists will be forced to park e-bikes in designated bays in the West End in a bid to tackle the “hazard” of dockless cycles being abandoned on pavements.
Westminster council is drawing up plans with the bike hire firms, with the aim of some key streets effectively becoming e-bike free zones.
Riders who fail to follow the new parking rules will incur additional hire charges and may also receive a penalty fine or be locked out of their account.
Paul Dimoldenberg, Westminster’s cabinet member for city management, has been in months of discussions to establish a “Westminster-wide network of parking bays for dockless e-bikes”.
A memorandum of understanding between the council and Tier, Lime, Dott and Human Forest could be in place by July.
About 250 parking bays – including 80 existing e-scooter bays, which would be extended to create space for bikes – would be created.
But the bike firms, which would be expected to contribute to the cost, said as many as 500 bays across Westminster may be needed to meet demand.
E-scooters that can be hired from many of the same firms already have to be parked in approved bays.
Mr Dimoldenberg told the Standard: “The idea is that the whole of Westminster will be geo-fenced, so e-bike riders can only park their bike in a designated bay. Otherwise they will continue to be charged as if they are continuing their journey.”
He said bays would also be created by replacing kerb-side space currently used for car parking. “We don’t want any more clutter on the pavements,” he said.
Last year, Westminster and Wandsworth councils began seizing e-bikes that had been abandoned on pavements.
“What we will also be asking the e-bike companies to do is have their staff go around to ensure their bikes are within the bays and not in the roadway creating a hazard for cars and pedestrians,” Mr Dimoldenberg said.
“We are very supportive of more people travelling in Westminster by bicycles, whether they’re pedal bikes or e-bikes. But bikes need to be parked in the right place, and in a way they don’t create hazards for pedestrians.”
The move – a potential breakthrough in tackling the nuisance factor of dockless bikes – was backed by London’s walking and cycling commissioner, Will Norman.
He said: “What is really needed is a pan-London approach. Dockless bikes are clearly popular. They are well-used. I think the clear challenge is the way they are being parked. They should not be on pavements. We do not want these to be a hazard on our streets.”
Jess Hall, head of UK public policy at Tier, said: “If implemented, users would only be able to end their ride in a designated bay. If a bike is abandoned in a no parking zone we stop the ride and remotely lock it after a certain period for safety reasons. Our on-street team will then collect the bike and redeploy it.”
A spokesman for Dott said: “We fully support the use of designated parking bays. Riders will find it easier to find and park e-bikes. This is an approach that we already operate under in other cities across Europe.”
Hal Stevenson, senior public affairs manager at Lime, said: “We welcome the opportunity to work with Westminster to implement long term solutions for the safe and tidy parking of shared e-bikes.”
