Plans to introduce new rules on hired E-bikes have been welcomed after years of clunky cycles clogging pavements across the UK. The Department for Transport launched a consultation on Thursday that could see cyclists fined for riding drunk or cycling on pavements. Firms running the schemes would also face penalties if they fail to stop riders blocking footpaths.
Support from riders and pedestrians
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: "This is a small but important everyday fix to make our streets safer." On one busy street near the London Eye, the Mirror found dozens of E-bikes from a range of hire companies lining both sides of the road. Several were left directly in the middle of the pavement, which combined with scaffolding from a nearby building created a difficult, narrow channel that pedestrians struggled to pass through.
Ed, who did not want to give his surname, was parking a rented E-bike in one of the designated bays. The 31-year-old Londoner said he liked to use them on occasions where he'd left his motorcycle at home, as they were easy to use and preferable to taking the "crowded" Underground. He admitted he'd seen plenty of examples of bad behaviour by fellow cyclists and said more oversight of the sector would be welcomed.
He said: "It's crazy. It really is an arms race between the E-bike companies, you see hundreds of them in one space. I don't really know if all of them are really being used. You see plenty of people on Lime bikes, but you can go down any street in Central London and it's like 40 or 50 parked on any one street, it's crazy."
Concerns over safety and etiquette
Ann Leo, 72, from Orpington, said she believed the capital was still struggling to catch up with the E-bike boom. She explained: "This many people using bikes is relatively new. I spent of my time growing up in Belgium - people there go at a sedate pace, they use it just to get from A to B, and kids go to school and grow up with it. They learn the etiquette and the safety, but here it's all happening quite quickly."
She added: "It's dangerous. I saw two locally yesterday, when was quite windy, and they'd fallen over across the pavement. I thought, 'well, this is everywhere now' - I get it, but it's an accident waiting to happen. That, and the fact that people don't wear helmets."
Nurse Victoria Cleary was visiting London to see Witness for the Prosecution at the old County Hall building with her friend Jean and said E-bikes were a big problem in her home city of Liverpool too. She said: "It's just as bad - and scooters are the worst. In my area, they're just left on pavements, not even anywhere near a parking space."
Campaigners highlight impact on vulnerable
Campaigners warn that disabled people and parents with prams suffer most from the growing amount of 'street clutter' in recent years, such as E-bikes, scooters and delivery robots. Tanya Braun, Director of External Affairs at Living Streets, said: "Our pavements are for people and should be safe and accessible for everyone to use. Discarded e-bikes obstruct our pavements, which is dangerous for everyone but especially for wheelchair users, those who are blind or partially sighted or families with young children."
She added: "This can prevent people from enjoying the many health and social benefits of walking and wheeling."
