Micromobility: the wider context
My thoughts above relate specifically to the arrival of Lime and Forest hire e-bikes in Haringey and the southernmost parts of Enfield. But in the last week or so there have been important developments on a London-wide and countrywide scale regarding the importance of increasing active travel (walking, cycling and "wheeling") and of both harnessing the benefits of dockless hire bikes and reducing their negative impacts.
The first was this year's annual report, Health in Cities, issued by the UK's Chief Medical Officer, Chris Whitty, which emphasizes the importance of active travel for improving the nation's health. One of its subchapters (4.7) is devoted to the subject of active travel in cities.
Here are a few excerpts where the point is made strongly - I could have quoted several more:
"Cities should be ideal places for enabling active travel with shorter distances to the things we need or want on a regular basis, including supermarkets, places of leisure, work or healthcare. Making walking and cycling more practical and safer, and access to green space easier and more equitable, would go a long way toward removing barriers to improving physical activity levels and could significantly improve the health of England’s increasingly urban population."
"As the health, economic, environmental and social benefits of active travel to the quality of life in our cities have become more widely recognised, there have been increased programmes, pilots and initiatives trialled in UK schools, workplaces, communities and health and care settings. Overall, multicomponent interventions including environmental or infrastructural changes have been shown to have the highest impact on active travel levels, with those covering larger areas having most impact. Interventions that offer bikes (especially e-bikes and adapted bikes) are also effective and can make active travel accessible to more people, including those on low incomes70 or with health/mobility issues. Future investment in active travel interventions should use this evidence and not invest in short-term behavioural only interventions."
"We need to give equal weight to all the travel and transport needs of all our city dwellers. Changing the environment changes behaviour, so city planners need to reallocate road space away from cars and towards other more efficient and less polluting forms of transport. The negative impact of car dependency on physical and mental health, air pollution, road traffic danger, inequalities, carbon emissions and productivity must be clearly communicated to the public, with open discussions on what alternative systems could look like and the benefits these will bring."
Turning specifically to dockless hire bikes and micromobility hubs, it's clear that the local scheme discussed above is just a small part of something much bigger. Transport for London (TfL) has announced that it is funding the installation of 800 new micromobility hub spaces on roads that it controls and a further 7,500 on roads controlled by borough councils.
However, the issue of hire bikes cluttering pavements is also very much in the sights of TfL and of London Boroughs, the umbrella organisation that speaks on behalf of all boroughs.
A government white paper on devolution recently published paves the way for organisations like TfL to impose a London-wide system of regulation, stating “Local transport authorities will be empowered to regulate on-street micromobility schemes (like hire bikes), so local areas can shape these schemes around their needs, connect people to public transport, and tackle the scourge of badly parked cycles and e-cycles.”
However, it will take time for new legislation to come into force, while TfL and the boroughs are in a hurry to rectify the situation, as is clear from the following press release:
"We need action on responsible micromobility parking now" - London Councils responds to Government announcement of new powers for transport authorities
Following the announcement of new micromobility powers for transport authorities in the English Devolution White Paper, Cllr Kieron Williams, London Councils Executive Member for Climate, Transport and Environment, said:
“We have seen the great benefits dockless e-bikes and rental e-scooters provide to people travelling across the capital, but we are also aware of the challenges this new transport option has brought to London.
"While the large majority of people using the bikes do so with care and respect for their fellow residents, we are still seeing far too many blocking pavements, roads and crossings. This is putting other people’s safety and accessibility at risk, especially elderly and disabled Londoners.
"We welcome today's announcement from Government to issue transport authorities with new powers to set consistent rules across areas using dockless e-bikes and rental e-scooters.
“But we need action on responsible parking in London now. I have written to Lime and Forest today alongside the Walking and Cycling Commissioner, setting out our concerns and asking them to work with us to tackle poor parking and the excess amount of dockless e-bikes.
"Dockless e-bikes and rental e-scooters are a major positive step forwards for London, but to work for our city they need to work for all Londoners. London boroughs will continue to work with TfL, operators, and users to make sure they do.”
You can read a mobile-friendly version of the letter to the bike hire firms below or download a copy in PDF format.
Text of letter from TfL and London Councils to e-bike hire companies Lime and Forest
16 December 2024
Dear Lime and Forest,
We are writing to seek your public commitment to fully address the issues being caused by problematic parking of your dockless e-bikes, and to ensure no location in our city has to deal with unsustainable numbers of bikes.
It is our shared view that dockless e-bikes are an important part of London’s transport network and have the potential to be a major long-term positive addition. Thousands of Londoners have found them a convenient and enjoyable way to get around and connect to other forms of transport, with the large majority doing so with care and respect for their fellow Londoners. If managed properly, they can play an important role in supporting more Londoners to cycle, reducing congestion, pollution, and carbon emissions, and making London healthier and greener.
To be successful they need to work for everyone in our city, but that is not currently the case. Your bikes are frequently found parked on pavements, roads, and crossings in a way that negatively impacts people across our city, especially elderly and disabled Londoners. In many parts of our city, the numbers of dockless e-bikes are now exceeding the fleet caps you have agreed with councils, and we are increasingly concerned that you are deploying your bikes in unacceptable numbers in some locations.
As you know, London’s councils and Transport for London have been working with you on behalf of our residents to address these issues. We recognise that you have made some welcome progress: improving instructions for riders, taking action to make it harder to ‘hack’ bikes, and working with us to install dedicated parking bays in many parts of the city. We know that in other cities you have deployed other technologies and resources to tackle these issues but have not yet done so yet in London: we need action on responsible parking in London now.
We will continue to work with Government to secure the powers needed for local areas to manage and regulate dockless e-bike schemes. The current situation where dockless e-bikes can be operated without permission or oversight from either councils or TfL is clearly not working. It is right that this new mode of transport has new regulation to make it work for all, including a requirement for operators to be given permission to operate, and to comply with fair and consistent rules. This is already the case for other privately-operated modes of transport, including taxis, minicabs, and dockless e-scooters.
In the meantime, we hope you will agree that it is in all of our interests to work pro-actively to address the current issues with dockless e-bikes. We are therefore asking you to commit to working with us to tackle poor parking and oversaturation, reducing the nuisance and hazards posed to Londoners by:
- Taking all necessary steps to ensure full compliance with Transport for London’s new enforcement policy for dockless e-bikes.
- Taking all necessary steps to ensure full compliance with existing contracts and Memorandums of Understanding in place with individual boroughs, including complying with fleet caps and relevant enforcement policies.
- Publishing a clear action plan for London setting out the steps you will take to tackle poor parking and oversaturation of bikes on roads and pavements across London as a whole and recognising that a joined-up approach is essential for customer journeys that don’t recognise borough boundaries.
We hope you will respond positively to these requests.
Boroughs and TfL remain committed to working with you to overcome these issues so we can make dockless e-bikes a success, including by installing more dedicated bays, and we respectively have meetings planned with you to continue this work and welcome your continued engagement.
We strongly believe that cooperation and collaboration between all parties is the key to ensuring that dockless e-bikes can continue to play an important role in a safe and sustainable transport system. Boroughs and TfL will also continue to use our existing powers to take enforcement action where it is needed, to keep our pavements and highways accessible.
We look forward to your public commitment to addressing these issues so that we can work together to make dockless e-bikes a success and ensure our streets remain safe and accessible for all Londoners.
Yours sincerely,
Cllr Kieron Williams
London Councils’ Executive Member for Transport, Environment and Climate
Will Norman
London’s Walking & Cycling Commissioner
Links
E-bike hire scheme extended into Enfield borough (Enfield Dispatch 13 December 2024)
TfL spends £1million on parking bays for e-bikes (as thousands more hire bikes due to arrive in London) (The Standard 26 November 2024)