Recent coverage here (see 15 July) of ‘The Lime Bikes Question’ has led to a response from Cllr. Ehmann, the Richmond upon Thames Council Transport Committee.

“The borough has seen considerable use of the bikes in question (in excess of 60,000 journeys a month)  and is well-aware of some inconsiderate parking behaviours that occur in a minority of cases.  The backdrop of that widespread usage does put into context the relatively low (but nonetheless, clearly impactful) nature of the poor parking sometimes seen in evidence around the borough.

“In a paper for the Transport Committee in September 2023, it was resolved that we would seek to install dedicated parking bays for these e-bikes in high use locations and we are happy to hear from the Mortlake with East Sheen Society about potential locations at which this facility might be useful.

“This Council is also engaged in London-wide discussions over future regulatory frameworks for the operation of the service as well as discussions with providers about the future of their services in the borough.  No decisions on material changes to regulations or our borough’s approach to services have yet been made but suffice to say that reducing the incidence of poor parking is our number one priority area for service improvement.

“I hope that you will find this response helpful in acknowledging the issues, setting out the proportionate thinking about these harms and the ongoing work being undertaken to improve resident experience while supporting such positive usage levels. We will of course keep you informed of any changes to the approach to managing these bikes as they manifest themselves.”

One question already being asked is about the meaning of ‘high use locations’.