Lime battle of the bikes or Blimey lime

London has been invaded this year – not by the usual tourists or an alien species,

London has been invaded this year – not by the usual tourists or an alien species, but by dockless bikes. Suddenly in almost every street there are e-bikes for instant hire, mostly the rather heavy and clunky Lime bikes or the rather sleeker and better designed Forest ones. While previous attempts to deploy large numbers of ordinary bikes in the same way foundered because too many were stolen or ended up in the canals, this new generation has taken root and is providing a very useful means of transport for tens of thousands of people daily, and that number seems to be rising almost daily.

There is no doubt that their ubiquity has contributed to a surge in cycling. According to recently issued figures by Transport for London, there are 1.5 million journeys by bike in the capital every day, more than double the number of a decade ago when there were few cycle lanes and no dockless bikes. The docked Santander sponsored scheme run by Transport for London has rather suffered from this competition, which has reduced usage by around a third in the past three years.

That’s because dockless bikes offer more convenience, as they can be left pretty much anywhere and that has become a problem. While local councils publicly welcome the increase in cycling, they are under pressure to impose tighter regulation on the Lime and Forest bikes. The problem is that they are often badly parked, blocking access for pedestrians especially those of limited mobility or people pushing buggies. In windy conditions they topple over making people step over them and in busy places, such as around Tube stations or major attractions, there can be so many that they are unsightly and cause great inconvenience.

This has created a dilemma for politicians. The bikes have become so well used that to ban them would be hugely unpopular and cause great inconvenience. They have become an integral part of the transport system and are obviously a green and sustainable method of getting around. But they are also hated by a considerable section of the public especially as they are often ridden by inexperienced cyclists who pose a risk to pedestrians.

In the borough where I live in north London, Islington’s council leader and transport cabinet member have written an angry open letter – you can view it here - to the e-bike companies warning them that they will take action and even possibly ban the bikes if the problems are not remedied. In particular they single out ‘obstructive’ parking, overuse of existing bays, nighttime noise as bikes are being move around, and dangerous riding techniques. That last point is just silly, as clearly these companies have no control over how the bikes are ridden and running red lights or riding on pavements is a matter of police enforcement.

Indeed, the whole tone of the letter seems to me far too aggressive. Sure, there are problems, and the council needs to work with the e-bike providers to remedy them. But this is a revolution taking place. Giving people access to a cheap – you can get a half hour package for just £4 - and environmentally sustainable form of transport is a gamechanger. Some of the complaints against them are ludicrous. One woman went on local TV to bemoan the fact that two parking spaces were being removed to accommodate the bikes – ignoring the fact that those spaces could now be used by 20 bikes and their users, rather than two cars.

Of course there needs to be better enforcement and users should be charged extra if they park in the wrong place. But overall this revolution needs to be celebrated. It will take cars off the road, make it easier to justify the creation of cycle lanes and encourage people to take up cycling more widely.

I am taking a break as we all should do but will be back in the New Year. Thank you to my subscribers and remember you can upgrade to premium, which will be full of goodies in the New Year including teasers from my new book Fast Track and exclusive articles. Please give me any feedback and ideas for articles by writing to me at christian.wolmar@gmail.com and order any of my books at that address. Happy Xmas and a great new year.