Forest CEO Agustin Guilisasti has called on London to follow Paris's example by converting on-street car parking spaces into dedicated ebike docking bays, arguing that the solution to the capital's misparked bike problem lies in better infrastructure, not fewer bikes.
Shared ebikes have become a key part of London's transport network, facilitating millions of journeys every month. Forest recorded 3m rides in July alone, a new high, and demand continues to rise, with operators logging ever-higher ride-per-bike ratios.
The parking problem
Poorly parked bikes make near-daily headlines, causing frustration and posing a hazard for pedestrians, especially those with disabilities or access needs. Guilisasti acknowledges the criticism directed at operators, saying, "Misparked bikes, and the cluttered pavements they leave behind, cause understandable frustration."
However, he argues the solution lies in answering where bikes should go when not in use. London's Cycleway network now covers 450km (280 miles), but roads still accommodate buses, taxis, pedestrians, scooters, cyclists, private vehicles and mopeds within the same finite space.
Paris as a model
Paris's former mayor Anne Hidalgo's administration converted tens of thousands of on-street car parking spaces into Vélib' docking stations and dedicated bays for bikes and shared micromobility, also making room for wider pavements and trees. The approach was informed by the insight that a single car parking space can hold about 10 bicycles.
Guilisasti notes that car ownership in London is declining, with almost half of households no longer owning a car, rising to nearly two-thirds in inner London. Yet about 18% of households in inner London still own two or more vehicles.
Regulatory opportunity
As part of the recently passed English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act, TfL has been tasked with designing a pan-London licensing framework for shared micromobility, with parking likely to be a key part of its design. Guilisasti suggests that converting even 15% of on-street parking taken up by second cars into dedicated micromobility bays would create space for almost 1m shared ebikes, far more than the estimated 50,000 already in London.
With help from operators, boroughs, TfL and the mayor, London could solve its ebike parking conundrum and focus on integrating them into the transport system safely and sustainably.
