Westminster City Council has issued more than 5,000 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) to e-bike operators for badly parked bikes since the start of the 2026-27 financial year, compared with 1,259 in the previous year. At the current rate, the council could issue almost 10,000 (9,648) bike FPNs by the end of the year, a potential seven-fold increase.
Hotspots and enforcement action
There are roughly 20 hotspots for irresponsible dockless bike parking in the area, many in the West End and St James's wards, a Westminster City Council sub-committee heard. Cabinet Member for Enforcement Caroline Sargent said: “Sometimes hundreds of bikes are really seriously blocking the road, going into the road. So that is where the main seizure action is taking place, but the enforcement action is taking place in every ward.”
“The issuing of FPNs is taking place everywhere. And there have been seizures that have taken place outside of those 20 hotspots too, but that is where most of it has been focused to date.”
Seizures and costs
Just over £300,000 in FPNs and seizure costs has been levied against dockless bike operators. Over 1,000 dockless bikes have been seized this year in cases where obstruction and safety issues are causing the most concern.
However, the Tory-led crackdown has faced scrutiny from the opposition Labour group over the number of seizures. Leader of the Opposition Councillor Ellie Ormsby said: “This equates to around six bikes a day. In a city like Westminster, where e-bikes are so prevalent, this barely scratches the surface.”
Future measures
Cllr Sargent said every Westminster City Council inspector has been trained on issuing FPNs. The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands that two inspectors cover bike seizures specifically. The council said it recognises it needs more parking bays to account for increased demand and to compensate for “problematic bays” it has removed.
Westminster has been working with major operators to share data and improve removal of carelessly parked bikes, including better real-time information on bike numbers and locations. A Policy and Scrutiny Cabinet Member Update reads: “Officers are also currently working on revised versions of our binding Collaboration Agreements which will require greater data-sharing requirements and transparency from the operators, improved clarity on operating requirements, while also imposing stronger penalties where they fail to work with us in keeping our streets clear and safe.”
