A shocking picture posted to the Reddit group, r/London shows a large area of a street taken over by a parked Lime Bikes.
Captioning the post, Reddit user ldn6 said: “Lime Bikes are blocking entire pavements and side streets. This is getting ridiculous.”
Now, a debate between Londoners has seen many call the hire bikes a ‘nuisance’ and have described the parking situation as ‘ridiculous’.
Lime Bikes are blocking entire pavements and side streets. This is getting ridiculous.
byu/ldn6 inlondon
Londoners call to end ‘ridiculous’ Lime Bikes
Commenting on the Reddit post, many suggested that the bikes may create an issue for wheelchair and pram users, as one local said: “Between these and bins on the paths, you don’t realise how bad it is until you have a pram.
“At least I can stop and shift them out of the way, it must be so frustrating for people in wheelchairs who don’t have that luxury.”
Others suggested that the problem could be solved by fining Lime: “The bike companies should be fined.
“If you put the burden of fining poor users on the companies that run the bikes, they would soon find ways to be more responsible.”
One Londoner shared that they like the idea of Lime Bikes but aren’t a fan of how they are being used: “They are a nice idea I’ve never used them but this is a bit over the top people still need to be able to walk on the path, having wheelchair access as well.
“The way they get treated and getting dumped everywhere and left in the middle of a footpath is terrible.”
Another added that some companies “are not taking responsibility for how people are using their bikes, and both users and these companies have proven they can’t be trusted to have a non-docked bike option.”
RECOMMENDED READING
Wheelchair users call for Lime Bikes to be ‘sorted’ amid ‘dangerous’ routes
E-bike companies face fines in crackdown on cycles blocking London’s streets
Lime Bikes in London: ‘Convenient’ but ‘utter nuisance’
A Lime spokesperson said: “We never want Lime’s e-bike to obstruct anyone’s journey and we recognise that one of the most significant challenges facing our industry is the issue of overcrowded parking bays.
“We are working behind the scenes with boroughs to help create more parking bays across London.
“We have a team of 250 people that help to move mis-parked bikes and clear overcrowded bays. We encourage the public to report instances of overcrowding so our team can quickly move and redistribute bikes.
“If our vehicles are causing a hazard or obstructing traffic, we aim to respond at pace, with the majority of vehicles moved within one hour of being reported.”
It’s not the first time Lime Bikes has created discourse among Londoners, as Brent Council previously stated plans to ban the hire transport altogether before reaching an agreement with the business.
The agreement between Brent and Lime requires the brand to remove poorly parked bikes within two hours of them being reported. 200 designated parking bays will also be introduced before July 2025.
Now, there are calls for other councils to take on a similar approach or to bring in a pickup point, drop-off offer similar to Boris Bikes.
