Increase in Lime Bikes on LL

[Nigello]

Whether or not you have or don’t have the physical ability to skirt an e-cycle left on the pavement, such obstacles and obstructions derive from nothing but selfishness, truculence, inconsiderateness etc. and as such make all our lives that little bit more uncomfortable. 

[first mate]

Humdinger said: "If you are in a wheelchair (a tiny, tiny fraction of the population) then you already know you have hard luck, a few extra bicycles on the street is hardly going to push you over the edge."

 

Quite honestly words fail.

FWIW, for anyone already dealing with the "hard luck" ( an unbelievably unempathetic choice of words ) of some sort of physical disability (not just wheelchair users) and the daily inequalities they already contend with, having your access blocked by an e-bike lying in the pavement is exactly the sort of thing that can push you over the edge.

[satsuma]

1 hour ago, Humdinger said:

If you are in a wheelchair (a tiny, tiny fraction of the population) then you already know you have hard luck, a few extra bicycles on the street is hardly going to push you over the edge. Besides they are surprisingly competent at navigating obstacles, which is rarely taken into account. 

Its a stupid argument anyway. Typical NIMBY response to something they dont want or like- "what about the wheelchairs", "what about the schoolkids", "what about this, and what about that". Lets just do absolutely nothing in future in case we inconvenience someone somewhere, yeah? 

Bugger me, what a shitty attitude.

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

2 hours ago, Humdinger said:

Lets just do absolutely nothing in future in case we inconvenience someone somewhere, yeah? 

Or, you know, Lime and the users could just not act like giant fanny when it comes to dropping off the bike. That's another option.

[ed_pete]

Well looks like it's working well then.😉

[wolis]

Bike space on Barry rd this morning. Obviously working well !

[tiddles]

I think a lot of the problems are not caused by legit line users, but lots of the youngsters who use them - just forcing thru the brake (if you hear the bike clattering that is the case) I think there is also some sort of kudos in leaving them in really stupid places…. 

[Pugwash]

I like many others, use a walking stick has I have impaired mobility with balance problems. I have to be very careful when walking on uneven surfaces. Barry Road is very narrow in some places as tree roots cut off part of the pavement which does not leave spaces for prams and wheelchairs. Some mobility scooters can only be used on pavements. If parked properly - there is very little concerns about the bikes and scooters  but as everyone has stated it is the poorly parked ones that cause the problems. I have a partially sighted friend and she dreads going out on her own because of this.

[first mate]

It may be worth remembering that in their 2022 manifesto, Southwark Labour made a pledge to "Equal Pavements", ensuring accessibility to all pavement users.

[Angus88]

Lime certainly seem to be targeting the local area with their bikes. I came back from holiday this week and was shocked at the sheer number of them cluttering up pavements around ED. 
 

The situation at the bottom of Barry Road near the Rye is ridiculous: an e-bike parking spot has been designated in a former car parking space, but hardly anyone bothers to park their bikes within the lines, instead they just dump them in the middle of the pavement. It is now a daily obstacle course just walking down Barry Road. 
 

I used to be in favour of the hire e-bikes, i have even used them a few times myself, but the sheer volume of bikes now blighting the local pavements has made me reconsider.

I complained to Lime regarding the issue on Barry Road and they said they would look at making it a non parking area, but i wouldn’t hold my breath.

I’m surprised Lime makes a profit given half the people i see on the bikes have likely nicked them (you can tell by the clicking sound they make if they have been stolen). 

[Jenijenjen]

Your complaint to Lime may have brought results as yesterday, walking down Barry Road, I saw a number of the bikes being loaded onto a white van. Or perhaps the council had intervened. There are certainly fewer of the bikes now in the area compared to a few days ago.

[OutOfFocus]

3 hours ago, Jenijenjen said:

 I saw a number of the bikes being loaded onto a white van.

Possibly  they were going back to base to be recharged. 

[exdulwicher]

5 hours ago, Jenijenjen said:

Your complaint to Lime may have brought results as yesterday, walking down Barry Road, I saw a number of the bikes being loaded onto a white van. Or perhaps the council had intervened. There are certainly fewer of the bikes now in the area compared to a few days ago.

They've moved loads of them up to central London for the RideLondon Freecycle event today.

https://www.ridelondon.co.uk/our-rides/ridelondon-freecycle

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

2 hours ago, OutOfFocus said:

Possibly  they were going back to base to be recharged. 

They don't take them anywhere to recharge them. A guy in a little car just changes the batteries. I watched one last night pull up, park on zigzags, swap a couple of batteries, and then drive away on the wrong side of a separate crossing. He did not move any bikes into the bike parking spot while he was there...

[first mate]

Another example of a big USA Tech company getting away with doing just as they please.

Don't know who runs Forest Bikes but they are a better, less in your face colour.

Loads of Lime bikes on various ED roads this morning, left scattered on paths and blocking access.

[heartblock]

A white van just dumps them on the pavement. I watched them dump 7 on East Dulwich Grove yesterday on the pavement. Not in any sensible or designated area and on one side making access difficult. 

[heartblock]

[exdulwicher]

On 28/05/2023 at 15:10, heartblock said:

A white van just dumps them on the pavement. I watched them dump 7 on East Dulwich Grove yesterday on the pavement. Not in any sensible or designated area and on one side making access difficult. 

Conversely, there was an unmarked white van and two guys unloading 4 or 5 bikes outside Sainsbury's at The Plough earlier directly into the marked parking bay. 

Maybe it depends on the guys driving..?

Also, if you're a Lime user, the system gives you credits and discounts if you move badly parked bikes. I found it entirely by accident when I picked up a bike and, on finishing my ride, popped it into a parking bay and my app pinged up to say "thanks for moving a badly parked bike, we've given you a free ride!"

I'm not yet quite at the stage where I'll go hunting badly parked bikes to get discounts but it's worth knowing!

[KalamityKel]

https://help.li.me/hc/en-gb/articles/115004916388-How-do-I-report-illegal-parking-

Keep reporting your findings.

Sadly there's not much to be done about those using the bikes but let the company know how bad things are and give them a chance to rethink their approach... I know... they wont, but we can always hope!

[Rockets]

Surely Lime need to be forced to place the bikes in the parking bays if they are placing them? Just randomly dumping them on streets doesn't mean anyone will actually use them - it seems to be a case of them trying to create a market by flooding the streets with them.

 

Interesting that you hear so many bikes being used that have been jacked and are being used illegally - that clicking noise from the back wheel is the giveaway.

[Bic Basher]

The only Lime bikes I saw today were in the parking bay on Melford Road which has suddenly popped up.

[first mate]

I believe the aim is to put at least one bay and some hangars on every road. 

[Bic Basher]

I went past the two docking areas on Barry Road next to Underhill Road.   The e-bike bay on the road is perfectly fine, but there's a blitz of Lime bikes alongside HumanForest who use it as a parking bay and it really is a risk for certain people trying to navigate the pavement.

[first mate]

Out on streets adjacent to Northcross yesterday. Loads of Lime bikes scattered around. There really is a trend to leave them right in the middle of the pavement. This is surely completely at odds with the council's push to push active travel and micromobility.

I think it is also only a matter of time before bikes parked badly on the road topple over and damage parked cars. Thus far, the dedicated cycle bays are not being used as they should.

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

On 29/05/2023 at 20:22, exdulwicher said:

Conversely, there was an unmarked white van and two guys unloading 4 or 5 bikes outside Sainsbury's at The Plough earlier directly into the marked parking bay. 

Maybe it depends on the guys driving..?

IIRC Lime uses "independent contractors" as its "rejuicers", which is to say all these guys will be completely casualised, overworked, and paid as little as possible by Lime, just like Uber, Amazon and the rest.

It's striking that the process for reporting badly parked bikes is not integrated into the app, is more complicated, and less accurate than the process for renting the bikes. I wonder if anyone actually reads the reports.

Dumping bikes in the middle of pavements is already unlawful. I don't know whether the council has the power to simply remove bikes that are blocking pavements and crush them or hold them to ransom. But they should - it will be the only way Lime ever pays attention to the negative externalities of their own business model.