Lime has apologised and changed its app to stop the hiring of its bikes in Bromley after a blind man was forced into a busy road in a “very frightening” ordeal.
Jason Beal, 53, said his Labrador Retriever guide dog Caine refuses to lead him into the road in south east London. Unable to see traffic, he has to listen out and “very nervously” take Caine into the carriageway.
“Very frightening experience”
Mr Beal, an assistive technology manager, and his wife Jessica, 45, who is also blind, raised the dangers with their local MP Liam Conlon. He took the matter up with Bromley Council and Lime, which has now apologised to the couple.
Speaking to The Standard, Mr Beal said: “There have been a number of times the Lime bikes have been parked up or propped up against the tree or left over the pavement. Then I’ve got to stop, Kent House Road is quite a busy road. He (Caine) will refuse to go into a road at any time. So, I’ve got to make a decision to try to take him into the main road. That’s a very frightening experience for myself.”
He added: “Alternatively, there have been times when we have been walking up to the station and there have been loads of bikes parked up against where the tactile pavement is and I’ve had to go into the edge of the road there.”
“Fantastic news” for couple
Mrs Beal, who walks using a white cane, told how she has injured herself colliding with e-bikes: “You never know when they are going to crop up and if you are going to hit one, or are they going to fall on you. So, it’s quite scary just walking around.”
The couple recognise that “bikes are a great way for people to get around” but stressed it “feels unfair” that they were being left in their way in “difficult places for us”. Mrs Beal described as “fantastic news” that Lime was removing its bikes from their neighbourhood. “It does feel like a victory although obviously we want people to continue riding bikes and walking,” she added.
Mr Conlon, Labour MP for Beckenham and Penge, told of his “real anger” over the ordeal. “We cannot allow new barriers to be created for disabled residents who already face challenges getting around,” he said. “As a disabled person myself, who was unable to walk for four years as a teenager, I understand these issues first-hand. It is something I take seriously, and something I will not accept.”
Lime apologises and changes app
It is understood that the Lime app allowed bikes to be hired in the Penge area last week but by Monday morning this was no longer possible. In a letter to Mr Conlon, Lime stressed the benefits of the e-bikes but also that it is “critical” that their use “works for both riders and the communities in which they operate”.
The company added: “We would therefore like to apologise to Jessica and Jason for the issues they have faced due to rider parking in Penge. To address the specific issue in Penge...we have made a change to the Lime app to prevent Lime bikes from being used beyond the Lewisham boundary until we can agree an approach that supports the roll-out of an effective local scheme, with appropriate parking locations.”
Lime had been operating its bikes in Bromley on a “non-contractual” basis. It emphasised that the “build-up of bikes” at the border with Lewisham showed a “considerable demand” for rental bikes in Bromley. It is keen to work with the council and Mr Conlon on a scheme that “works for your constituents, ensuring both appropriate parking solutions for residents to access the service and the removal of bikes parked irresponsibly”.
Councillor Simon Fawthrop, Bromley council’s executive councillor for transport and highways, said: “We have already raised concerns with Lime that they appear to be operating without our consent in part of our borough, with their map allowing hiring use in Penge in the last few weeks. We welcome it appears to have changed now. This remains a serious matter and needs to permanently stop and ultimately if it does not, we will take action to remove the Lime bikes and then charge Lime for these costs.”
E-bike operators have increased their promotion of parking areas as they faced growing criticism over them being left blocking pavements. Some boroughs, including Westminster, have launched crackdowns on e-bikes given the scale of the problems they are causing.
