London is putting the brakes on the mess of electric bikes that litter the streets of the city. Today, the local transportation authority, Transport for London (TfL), announced a new enforcement policy that will restrict parking for the tens of thousands of e-bikes rented on-demand from companies like Lime, Human Forest, and Dott.
The news is significant because London is closely watched when it comes to e-bikes. The U.K. capital has been described as a “template” city when it comes to figuring out the business case and environmental viability of e-bike services for urban locations.
Leading companies like Lime — which has raised at least $1.5 billion in funding, including what appears to be a fresh, undisclosed amount in September 2024, per PitchBook — have beefed up their rollouts over the last year. There are now at least 40,000 e-bikes in circulation across different providers. They complement the Santander city bike scheme operated by TfL itself.
But while advocates extol e-bikes as a boost for more sustainable transportation as well as a healthier and faster way to get around London’s very congested streets, these two-wheelers have proven to be a nuisance — and not only when they are weaving around other vehicles and pedestrians at breakneck speed.
Specifically, the focus here is on the nuisance they cause when parked. Critics have railed against the obstructions caused by dropped-off bikes, including the many that fall over, that have clogged up sidewalks, and (ironically) spaces near bike racks for non-electric bikes.
So now, TfL says that bikes will no longer be able to be parked wherever a user wants to leave it in the center of town and in high-traffic areas. They will now have to be parked in designated areas in “red routes” in town and on TfL land, which includes areas like train and bus station forecourts.
Red routes make up nearly 400 miles of London’s streets, which is only about 5% of all the roads in the city, but account for more than 30% of the traffic. Typically, fines are higher for violations in these areas and parking is restricted. E-bike companies will have to create restrictions for users trying to leave bikes in these areas. For example, apps will not let you end rides if you are not in a designated area.
Some of this was in place already in specific boroughs and areas, but now it’s being codified across more of London. And notably, those who violate the rules will be fined.
The enforcement policy says that TfL will “consider taking action against operators who allow their bikes to be parked outside of designated places on red routes and on TfL land.” These can include fines and legal action.
One caveat here is that the policy is just a first step. It does not specify, for example, how big the fines can be against companies that violate the rules, and notably the rules do not cover areas outside of TfL property and red routes. So if you live outside of Zone 1, you may still be out of luck in navigating bike piles.
And the enforcement will be coming at a price. TfL said that it has allocated some £1 million to London boroughs — it does not say where that money comes from: taxpayers? The e-bike companies? — to develop 7,500 parking spaces, alongside 2,000 bays the boroughs already have. Additionally, TfL said it’s designated for “at least 800 spaces by next summer” on red routes, with 3,000 in total by the end of 2026.
Yet putting this into context, is this enough? Just doing the basic math here, if there are 40,000 bikes in circulation, with more planned to meet demand and opportunity, then at best only around one-quarter of them are being given parking spaces.
“We welcome TfL’s move to address the challenges caused by irresponsible dockless bike parking, ensuring that all road users can share London’s streets harmoniously. As the only London-based dockless bike operator, Forest is deeply committed to creating a city that works for everyone. That’s why we introduced virtual parking bays long before they were mandated and have always incentivised responsible parking among our users,” said Caroline Seton, co-founder and chief legal officer at Forest, in a statement provided to TechCrunch. “Sadly not everyone in the dockless bike industry has lived up to the standards we’ve set, which is why we believe it is time for the Government to take action and give TfL the powers needed to enforce high standards across the industry. With effective legislation, we can ensure that the benefits of dockless bike travel — such as affordability, accessibility, and sustainability — are delivered for all Londoners without compromising the convenience and safety of other road users.”
“We are committed to working with London boroughs and TfL to ensure that e-bikes are parked safely and appropriately. This decision by TfL underlines the urgent need for increased parking areas across the capital. This includes land owned by TfL so that the space around transport hubs remains clear and safe for pedestrians, while meeting the soaring demand for rental e-bikes. This year we have invested £1m in a Parking Infrastructure Fund to create more dedicated e-bike parking, and we employ over 250 people on London’s streets who help remove or tidy bikes parked in the wrong places,” a Lime spokesperson said in a statement provided to TechCrunch. “Over 11.5 million commuting journeys were taken on Lime e-bikes during the first half of the year alone. Around a third of these are vital first and last mile trips connecting to public transport, which are playing a key role in helping to meet the Mayor’s green and active travel targets. We will always work in partnership with TfL and London boroughs to help find solutions to these issues so that Londoners can access our bikes and scooters to make essential journeys around the capital.”
Longer term, and more generally, this is a signal that the freewheeling on-demand e-bike promise isn’t totally disappearing, but it’s going to see some stronger rule-making put around how these schemes get used.
“The right long-term solution is new legislation, setting out fair and consistent rules that all operators have to abide by,” said Kieron Williams, London Councils executive member for Climate, Transport and Environment, in a statement. “However ahead of that, it is clear the current operators could and should be doing much more to address these problems. I hope this welcome move by TfL today will lead the operators to do more, working with us to fix these problems so we can make dockless e-bikes a success.”
Updated with comment from Lime and Forest.
