Ealing Council is planning to create 50 new parking bays for rented electric bikes and scooters in the borough in March and wants to hear your views.
The painted bays will be on the road showing exactly where rented e-bikes and e-scooters should go, so that pavements and roads are tidier and more people are encouraged to use the bays. It is part of ongoing work to phase out almost all unmarked virtual bays, which only riders can see in the operator’s app, by 2027.
E-bikes and e-scooters – sometimes referred to as micromobility – are available to hire across the borough’s 7 towns, making it easier for people to choose cycling or scooting when travelling short distances. Currently, there is a mix of visible and virtual parking bays. Riders who do not park their bikes or scooters in the visible or virtual bays could be charged extra by Lime or Voi.
The marked bays are each the size of 1 parking space and will be able to accommodate around 9 bikes and scooters.
The bays are planned for the following areas:
- Perivale
- Hanger Lane
- West Ealing
- Northfields
- South Ealing
- Acton
- Greenford
Council leader Peter Mason said: “We have invested £28million to tackle air pollution and make it easier for people to choose more climate-friendly ways to make short trips in the borough such as walking, cycling and scooting. So, it’s great that renting e-bikes and scooters has become so popular with 8 times as many rented e-bike trips made now than in 2022.
“By adding more visible bays on the road, it not only encourages people to take an e-bike or e-scooter for a short trip, but it makes it crystal clear to everyone where they should park and keeps pavements tidy. We are currently considering proposals to bring in fines for operators that don’t play by the rules. We won’t hesitate to use these powers if rental bikes are cluttering up our streets.”
Have your say
Residents can find out more and give their comments on the proposed bays in a consultation which runs from 4 to 25 February by visiting the council’s website.
Councillor Paul Driscoll, the council’s cabinet member for climate action said: “We want to hear people’s views on the proposed marked bays. You can see details of where we plan to introduce them and how you can feedback on our website.”
Did you know?
Residents can rent e-bikes and scooters through the Lime app, and the Voi app,
To ride an e-scooter, customers must be over 18 years old and have a valid driver’s licence.
