Electric bikes that cyclists can rent and park at their convenience are increasingly common on UK roads – there are an estimated 30,000 Lime bikes available in London alone.
But its increasing prevalence poses increasing challenges for people with mobility issues.
For able-bodied people, encountering a sidewalk blocked by unsupported electric bikes can be annoying and unsightly. For blind people and wheelchair users, it can be much more serious.
Blind content creator Lucy Edwards has posted about the stress of riding poorly parked e-bikes with her guide dog, Miss Molly.
There is so much “junk on the roads,” he says, that sometimes he can’t manage without help. The experience has left her scared and upset.
“Obviously I don’t know where I am,” he says. “If I don’t have someone with me, I don’t know how to get through.”
E-bike users are not always required to park within designated spaces. In some areas of the UK, e-bike companies such as Lime and Voi use a “free-floating method”, meaning cyclists can park anywhere, as long as the bikes do not obstruct pavements.
However, some critics argue that users abuse these guidelines and abandon vehicles in precarious locations.
Lucy posted a video on Instagram to her more than 200,000 followers, showing in current time how her guide dog stops when she finds electric bikes in her path.
The video shows her guide dog stopping and leading her back to the sidewalk.
“These are such bad kids,” Lucy says in the clip. “It’s driving me to the sidewalk again. “That’s so bad, look at all the bikes.”
Many commenters shared their frustrations, with one writing: “An absolute disgrace and nightmare for wheelchair users, parents with strollers, and so on.”
Eliza Rain, a wheelchair user and social media content creator, has also spoken out about the challenges that improperly parked bicycles pose for disabled people.
“I would say bikes are a problem at least three or four times a week,” he says. “Users will park them diagonally on the sidewalk, there will be three next to each other on the sidewalk.”
Eliza also said that there are certain areas she doesn’t go to due to previous experiences with dockless electric bikes obstructing her path.
What are the punishments if users break the rules?
Lime rules state that the first time a user parks “incorrectly,” they will receive a warning. For the second offence, the user will be fined £2, increasing to £20 for the fifth offence. After that, the user will be banned from using the service.
Hal Stevenson, Lime’s policy director for the UK and Ireland, said around 95% of its users “park their bikes in the right place”.
Voi UK CEO Alex Bennett said their sanctions vary from place to place, adding that “they take action in the form of fines or outright bans.”
In September 2024, London’s Brent Council threatened to ban Lime bikes if certain changes were not made to the service.
Critics say improperly parked e-bikes make life difficult for disabled people
After some negotiations, Lime and Brent reached an agreement which included a reduction in the number of Lime bikes in the borough and the creation of 200 new parking spaces, as well as more patrol cars in the area.
But Lucy and Eliza would like to see e-bike companies do more to address this issue.
“Tougher restrictions” on those using the bikes would be helpful, Lucy says.
Eliza echoes this opinion. “I think it would be great if the rules were stricter, but also if there was more awareness.”
Non-disabled people would be more considerate if they were aware of the challenges faced by people with disabilities, he adds.
