Merton Council has threatened to start seizing Lime and Forest e-bikes after large numbers of dockless cycles were left scattered across Wimbledon on the first day of the Championships, causing safety risks and blocking pedestrian access.
E-bike Influx Overwhelms Designated Parking Bays
An influx of e-bikes in the borough has left some of the busiest areas with designated parking bays “overwhelmed,” according to local councillor Anthony Fairclough. The warning came as thousands of tennis fans flocked to the area on Monday for the start of the tournament, with around 10,000 people already queueing for tickets by 8am.
Merton Council has requested an urgent meeting with both Lime and Forest to ensure the dockless e-bike situation gets under control quickly. A council spokesman said: “We’re disappointed that a small number of riders are ignoring the rules and we expect Lime and Forest to be issuing fines to riders to ensure Merton’s streets are clear and safe.”
Council Demands Immediate Action from Operators
The council has also made sure both operators have increased their staffing during the tennis to deal with abandoned or poorly parked bikes as quickly as possible. “We’ve requested an urgent meeting with both operators tomorrow and, in the meantime, asked the operators to increase their resourcing. We’ve increased our presence there too. If the situation does not improve quickly, the council will start seizing bikes where there is a serious safety risk,” the spokesman added.
E-bike riders attending the tournament are required to dismount on Church Street, adjacent to the All England Club, and walk their bikes to the designated parking area. However, some have been spotted riding on the road and pavement outside the Club, blocking pedestrian access to the stadium.
Councillor Criticises Operator Management
Lib Dem Councillor Anthony Fairclough told The Standard: “E-bikes make cycling more accessible to more people. They are clearly very popular. The e-bike operators and the people who make agreements with them - like Merton, or AELTC - should ensure that e-bikes are being managed properly and that problems are dealt with.”
Fairclough explained that the council has an agreement with operators requiring journeys to end within marked or virtual parking bays around the borough. “We know that during the championships the operators both bring in more bikes, and more riders ride into the borough. So the number of bikes increases. This means some bike parking bays get completely overwhelmed. The technology does not entirely tie up so the area people can often leave bikes is wider than any marked bays,” he said.
He added that operators provide wardens to help manage the bikes, but they do not always respond quickly or deal on an ongoing basis with areas that get overwhelmed. “Merton has no particular process for assessing problematic bays either - a number of town centre bays near people's homes cause issues when they are used 24-7 - including by the operators who collect and deploy bikes 24 hours a day. The operators should manage their bikes effectively - they are the people benefitting financially from them - and Merton Council should hold the operators to the rules agreed. Merton should also have a process for swiftly dealing with bays that disturb residents.”
Operators Respond to Criticism
A Forest spokesperson said: “As expected, we’re seeing a significant spike in demand for our services in Merton, driven by the start of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships. We’ve been working closely with Merton Council in recent months to prepare for the tournament, including introducing temporary parking bays and deploying our operational team to support journeys in the local area. We’re aware that certain parking bays are particularly busy, and in response to this, we have deployed extra support to these locations to help manage demand and minimise disruption.”
Lime has been approached by The Standard for comment. A spokesperson told The Times: “We will monitor the situation and adjust our operations accordingly and look forward to continuing to work with the organisers and the council.”
