Increase in Lime Bikes on LL

[Rockets]

17 hours ago, melbournemarcus said:

I’m an active user, I also commute regularly on Limes from East Dulwich (25 mins door to door as opposed to 45 minutes if I were to take the train). It’s a game changer for me and I can’t see myself stop using them (even in this weather).

My view is that if we want to go down the bay route - we should have one on every single street and the council should be working with the providers to facilitate this asap. You can fit something like 20 in the space usually taken up by a Dulwich Volvo XC90.

Our streets are littered with cars. I find it baffling how the opponents of e-bikes don’t apply the same cynicism to just how much space cars take up now. 

This is great - you're the poster-child user for Lime (switching from public transport to a mode that does increase your active travel) but I am not convinced you are the norm and that many Lime bike etc users are switching from walking to Lime bike use to do very short journeys - my son tries to find one when we walk to the railway station or walk to Lordship Lane - which is a negative active travel impact rather than positive.

 

I very much suspect the reason there is no usage data shared by Lime etc is because it would likely highlight that my son's use case is more prevalent than yours - and that is a problem. But Lime are only encouraging councils to install new bays so they can try to force other providers out of the game - because it is a volume and branding game right now. Lime has the might of Uber (and other VC firms) behind them and they want to flood the market with bikes (whether people are using them or not) to ensure they win the e-bike rental market battle and become the sole provider of e-bikes in London (something which that have verbalised before when the council/s were critical of the bike parking problem).

 

If, as Lime's own commissioned research suggests, that in the usage area 97% of users are withing a two minute walk of a bike then there is zero need for new bays - new bays are just an excuse for more bikes and remember this thread started because Lime was carpet bombing Lime bikes across the area - which, rather ironically, led the council to complain to Lime etc about the problem to which Lime etc countered by saying we need more bays to which the council have now duly obliged!

Edited January 9 by Rockets

[SE22_2020er]

We use Lime bikes quite a bit for 3 main reasons:

 

1. Able to get into town as you can leave the bike at the end of the journey and not worry about having to lock up your own bike / find a car place / quicker than the train or bus.  Also helps with getting over DKH as their electric motors make even that hill a cinch for unfit people like me!

2. Use them to get to Brixton to get on the tube network.

3. Quick way to get home from work at the end of the day 

 

On the downside, they're not cheap if you use them a lot.

 

[alice]

And that sums it up. They are for a particular group who have the money 

[malumbu]

Alice and others.  Step back and have an objective look at the two positive experiences.  What a shame that you can't appreciate that some see benefits.  You may not like them and may never use them.  But what a pity that there is a small but hard line group iof you that automatically diss this and other efforts to get us travelling actively and more sustainably.

Edited January 9 by malumbu

[SE22_2020er]

@alice - All modes of transport cost money - don't forget that the taxes you pay subsidise the buses and the tube 🙂

[snowy]

And cars...

[alice]

Calm down. 

[malumbu]

Lighten up

[alice]

I’m laughing 

[Rockets]

1 hour ago, malumbu said:

Alice and others.  Step back and have an objective look at the two positive experiences.  What a shame that you can't appreciate that some see benefits.  You may not like them and may never use them.  But what a pity that there is a small but hard line group iof you that automatically diss this and other efforts to get us travelling actively and more sustainably.

No-one is doubting that some see benefits but are you not even slightly concerned that if the usage patterns show that people are replacing short walks with short Lime-bike etc rides then actually that is having a detrimental impact on active travel and sustainability - not all cycled journeys are good journeys - my son's usage patterns are driven by his laziness and his reluctance to walk and his usage is negative to active travel and the environment and his peer group all use them in the same manner? I remember someone coming on here claiming that use of such bikes was "environmentally friendly" or "good for the environment" but that is only true if the journey they are replacing with the cycle has a more negative impact on the environment.

 

In the early days of my career I used to travel into Charing Cross by train from south London and then walk 20 minutes or so through Covent Garden to Bloomsbury everyday to my office - I bet if I was doing that journey today I would be using a Lime bike rather than walking from Charing Cross and that would make my overall journey less active travel and less environmentally friendly.

 

 

[snowy]

So you would choose a more expensive and - you claim - a less healthy choice every day?

you carry on being you, but I suspect that other people might make different choices. 

[malumbu]

So am I (smiling). When you do this the whole world smiles with you.

[Rockets]

1 hour ago, snowy said:

So you would choose a more expensive and - you claim - a less healthy choice every day?

you carry on being you, but I suspect that other people might make different choices. 

I don't think you have understood the point I was making! 😉

[snowy]

Sure Jan. 

[Rockets]

Interesting read: https://amp.theguardian.com/cities/2024/jan/14/lime-bikes-london-pavements-wayne-ting-ebikes-scooters

[malumbu]

Its a long article covering many aspects of e rental bikes, what did you particularly want to discuss, this being a forum?  I was drawn to the comments about too many cars littering our streets parked by the pavement.  I agree and Lime bikes, with incentives and appropriate charges for parked cars could help address this.  What do you reckon?

[jazzer]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[first mate]

15 hours ago, malumbu said:

Its a long article covering many aspects of e rental bikes, what did you particularly want to discuss, this being a forum?  I was drawn to the comments about too many cars littering our streets parked by the pavement.  I agree and Lime bikes, with incentives and appropriate charges for parked cars could help address this.  What do you reckon?

Yes, a long article but largely sceptical and negative about Lime and rental bikes and scooters.

I was very drawn to reference of Lime as distant and unaccountable, as well as the confusing system of regulation from borough to borough. Seems in Southwark, Lime and their renters can pretty much do as they please and block up pedestrian areas without much in way of penalties. Instead of street space being used for free by residents it will now be handed over to distant, private tech companies as a means to make money at resident expense.

[Rockets]

Yes it was clearly an attempt by Lime to improve their PR and I am not sure if it did what they intended. It's clear there are problems with the way Lime manages the service, the way people use the services, the way councils are totally uncoordinated in their approach to the implementation and management of these programmes and it is clear Lime is desperate to be the only operator in the game.

It all reads like it's a bit Wild West out there with no-one really knowing what's going on and everyone being blinded by the promise of a £ opportunity at the end of the rainbow.

[jazzer]

The bikes don't seem to undergo any cleaning, are filthy from the ones I've seen today, and I wonder how often the bikes get serviced/chains oiled, brakes and lights checked and replaced, potential accidents waiting to happen on the road??

Wait till someone comes off and sues Lime, worse is killed. 

 

[first mate]

Jazzer, good points and it is concerning that a distant, private USA company is being allowed such a full opportunity to profit off access to public space, with the absolute minimum accountability, while we the residents will be forced to pay for that same use.

In similar vein the council are very relaxed about handing over our precious park space for use by the private sector.

[Nigello]

https://limebike.typeform.com/CommunityReport?typeform-source=www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk#bike_plate_number=GLXQAZ
 

where to go to report badly parked Limes. 

[Rockets]

https://www.kilburntimes.co.uk/news/24558055.lime-bikes-instructed-removed-brent-council/

 

Brent has had enough 

[malumbu]

Would both of you like to précis what is in your links?  That would be helpful as I don't have a long attention span!

Edited September 3 by malumbu

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

On 17/01/2024 at 07:52, first mate said:

it is concerning that a distant, private USA company is being allowed such a full opportunity to profit off access to public space, with the absolute minimum accountability, while we the residents will be forced to pay for that same use

Glad we all agree that road space for parking is a scarce resource and that the council giving it away for free is madness.