Lime has announced it has awarded nearly £900,000 to nine London boroughs to support the creation of e-bike parking bays across the capital. The e-bike rental firm said some 600 new bays are to be created as part of efforts to tackle overcrowding of existing bays and poor parking.
Parking concerns and crackdown plans
It comes amid continued complaints across London over rental e-bikes being left strewn across pavements and 'dumped' in streets. The Mayor of London has announced plans for a London-wide crackdown on the “Wild West approach” the capital has taken to e-bikes. Lime withdrew bikes from one London borough after a blind man was forced into a busy road by poorly parked bikes.
Funding details and borough support
The funding given out through Lime’s London Parking Fund will help pay for bays in nine boroughs including Greenwich, Lambeth, and Hackney. Lime is also announcing that a further £1m is now available to London boroughs, with the next round of Lime’s London Parking Fund now open until October 22. Boroughs can apply for funding to deliver local schemes that improve parking.
Public demand and cycling growth
Recent research conducted by Opinium for Lime highlights growing demand for better parking infrastructure. A survey of 1,000 Londoners found one in five (21%) Londoners say they would be more likely to use shared e-bikes if safer parking was available at their destination. Two in three (65%) support or are open to more e-bike parking bays in the area where they live. This rises sharply to 85% among 18 to 34 year olds.
Cycling in London has reached record levels over recent years, driving demand for more places to park. Data from Transport for London shows that around 1.5 million cycling journeys are now made every day in the capital, with one in ten taken on a shared e-bike.
Lime's response
Lime’s Deputy Regional Head of Government Relations, Alice Pleasant, said: “More people than ever are choosing shared e-bikes to get around London. That’s bringing clear benefits, but it also means we need to work with our borough partners to cater for the increased parking demand.”
“Our partner boroughs are leading the way by putting the right infrastructure in place to make sure shared e-bikes work for all road users. We’re proud to be playing our part through Lime’s £5m London Parking Fund, and it’s hugely encouraging to see how strong the uptake for this funding has been from councils. With the next round now open, we’re encouraging councils to take advantage of the fund and submit their applications.”
“We know that when there are clear, designated places to park, people use them, and streets feel more organised. It also gives more people the confidence to choose cycling, which will help support London’s wider transport and environmental goals.”
