Brent Lime bike ban: Campaigners say 'stop the blame game'

Brent Council warned the electric bike hire company that it must remove its dockless bikes from the borough by October 31 if it continues to ignore the council’s safety concerns and fails to address a list of required changes.

The local authority says there is an “increasing number” of complaints made about Lime bikes being left on pavements, and often a “slow response time” in collecting them.

As a result, the company was asked to make several changes, including introducing dedicated parking bays and a no parking zone.

The Brent Cycling Campaign, which aims to improve conditions for cycling in the borough, said Lime and Brent Council must work together.

Lime bikes left on the pavement in Kingsbury (Image: Joseph Reaidi)

A statement reads: “Brent Cycling Campaign is disappointed in this decision to ban popular shared bikes in Brent. Lime and Brent Council must work together and stop this counterproductive blame game.

“As the highway authority, Brent Council has the power to solve the challenges around shared e-bike parking: the solution is to provide sufficient marked bike parking areas on the road in problem areas, enforced in collaboration with the hire bike operator.

“We are surprised, given that other London boroughs have successfully addressed this issue for some time. Removing a popular zero emissions transport option is not the answer.”

The Brent & Kilburn Times was told last week that Lime has been in communication with the council and meetings will take place with its cabinet and senior officers to consider its response.

Council leader Cllr Muhammed Butt said: “We all want to see more cycling across Brent. However, there are still many issues that remain unresolved in Lime’s proposals."

Lime has publicly said that it wants to work with the council in resolving any issues.

It stated: “Banning bikes won’t help anyone."

What does Brent want?

There are 750 Lime bikes within the borough since Lime partnered with Brent in 2019.

The company was asked to make several changes before the deadline, including introducing dedicated parking bays and a no parking zone.

A Lime bike in Kingsbury, left abandoned in a hedge for over a week (Image: Joseph Reaidi)

It was also asked to introduce dedicated local resources to ensure any reported bikes are dealt with swiftly, and increased penalties for users who leave bikes in inconvenient spots.

The council suggested Lime should consider providing local training and employment opportunities and community engagement events – including a Brent Resident Forum where people can share their views.