Lime launches £20m plan to clamp down on “obstructive” e-bike parking and deter “illegal” cycling on pavements and running red lights

Hire bike company Lime has announced the launch of a £20m ‘Action Plan’ to improve e-bike parking in London – a seemingly constant source of discontent in the capital in recent years – and to deter its users from “illegally” cycling on pavements and riding through red lights, while also pledging to support efforts to encourage more Londoners to travel by bike.

Unveiled on Thursday, the five-point plan, Lime says, is the company’s biggest investment in parking improvements and safety in any city around the world, and involves creating at least 2,500 new dedicated cycle parking spaces in London, expanding its on-street team in order to deal more effectively with obstructive parking by users, and the development of new technology to prevent riders from parking poorly “in real time”.

The plan will also see Lime increase its investment in cycling education schemes which will focus on “deterring illegal behaviour, such as running red lights and riding on pavements”, while further funding will be directed towards projects which help to improve cycling accessibility.

The move comes as demand for e-bike hire in London continues to soar. According to Lime’s own research, 49 per cent of Londoners aged 18 to 34 say they use a rental e-bike at least once a week, with total Lime e-bike journeys increasing by 85 per cent in the capital last year.

Over 16 million Lime journeys were taken by Londoners during commuting hours in 2024, while the company’s e-bikes or scooters have been used by over four million people since the brand’s launch in 2018.

However, Lime says that this demand has increased at a rate which exceeds the current parking space available in London’s boroughs, leading to overcrowded parking areas and some poorly parked e-bikes.

> Lime calls for more parking spaces in response to new TfL e-bike enforcement policy

That parking issue has been a constant thorn in Lime’s side over the past seven years, attracting criticism from locals who claim the hire bikes – which, unlike their London rival Santander Bikes, don’t require a docking station – are constantly abandoned by users and left “strewn” across pavements.

In 2023, residents in the west London borough of Hounslow claimed the bikes were “deliberately” left in “dangerous places”, with some locals calling for the trial of the bike hire scheme to be paused, arguing that it is only a matter of time before “somebody gets killed”.

In September 2024, Brent Council leader Muhammed Butt appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme to complain that the hire scheme’s dockless parking system was causing a “nuisance” in the borough, and that the bikes were “just being dumped on the streets, parks, rivers and canals, outside the high streets”.

In November, the residents of a building in Kingston upon Thames used angle grinders to chop up a number of Lime bikes they claimed had been abandoned by “thoughtless” cyclists in a private car park.

“It’s just getting out of hand. I’ve had confrontations with the riders themselves, but they’re just not interested. We’ve lost our temper with it,” one resident said.

> Lime hire scheme under fire as residents claim e-bikes "deliberately" left in "dangerous places"

The following month, Transport for London (TfL) announced a new enforcement policy for dockless rental e-bike and e-scooter parking, which it said would help streets “remain safe and accessible to everyone”, a move Lime claimed “underlines the urgent need for increased parking areas across the capital”.

And now, Lime believes its new action plan will “accelerate change and improve parking” so that Londoners can get around the city “easily and safely”.

According to Lime, £5m will be invested in new parking infrastructure, including the creation of 2,500 further dedicated parking spaces for their bikes, 1,500 of which they aim to build within the next six months.

“This investment is available to be used by boroughs immediately. It follows Lime’s initial £1m investment in 2024 that funded the creation of almost 750 parking spaces across London,” the company said.

“Lime also hopes to use a portion of the new funds to contribute to the Mayor of London’s 40,000 new bike parking locations set out in his manifesto, as part of its commitment ‘to ensure that dockless e-bike and e-scooter schemes can continue to play an important role in a safe and sustainable transport network’.”

Additionally, Lime says it has established a dedicated Private Land Parking Task Force, aimed at identifying additional parking spaces in partnership with private landowners, businesses, and other organisations.

> “Pissed off” residents use angle grinders to chop up Lime bikes abandoned by “thoughtless” cyclists in private car park

The biggest investment included in the plan, however, is directed towards bolstering the company’s on-street team by 60 per cent.

Lime says it has already hired over 100 street-based staff, growing its ‘Parking Patrol’ team tasked with removing and redistributing poorly parked e-bikes from overcrowded parking locations.

This expanded team – now consisting of over 400 employees – will enable Lime to increase its presence at certain “hotspots” in the busiest London boroughs at peak periods. Staff will be equipped with 15 cargo bikes, with each cargo bike capable of moving five poorly parked Lime e-bikes at a time, amounting to around 4,000 bikes a day, Lime claims.

Meanwhile, Lime also says it will utilise an improved AI-based photo reviewer to “block poor parking in real time”.

Up to now, Lime has only been able to retrospectively issue warnings and fines for inconsiderately parked e-bikes, or for those parked in unauthorised zones – something Hollywood actor Timothée Chalamet found out to his cost following his Lime-based red carpet ride earlier this month.

But the company says its new technology will ensure that e-bikes are parked “appropriately in real time”, by preventing riders from ending their trip if they abandon their bike or try to park it where they shouldn’t.

> Dylan goes electric… and gets fined! Timothée Chalamet slapped with “£65 parking fine” after riding Lime bike to London premiere of A Complete Unknown

Additionally, Lime says it will fund a £250,000 ‘safe riding campaign’, which it hopes will counter many of the anti-cycling tropes hurtled at its users and “improve the safety of all London cyclists”.

According to Lime, the campaign will “focus on deterring illegal behaviour, such as running red lights and riding on pavements”.

The company continued: “Lime recognises this is a complex problem and wants to work with City Hall, TfL, London Councils, and other operators to deliver a successful campaign.”

While the safe cycling campaign appears somewhat inspired by the Daily Telegraph, Lime added that it has committed another £250,000 “to improve access to cycling for more Londoners”.

Following an initial £100,000 contribution in 2024, this reinvestment in the ‘Share the Joy’ fund sees Lime continue to support the London Cycling Campaign’s efforts to encourage more Londoners to travel by bike. The fund awards grants to projects that improve cycling accessibility, with previous recipients including London Bike Kitchen, Cycle Sisters, and Wheels for Wellbeing.

Finally, the hire bike company says it will gather feedback from non-cyclists to improve its service for local communities, including the installation of clearly signposted, scannable QR codes on wheel covers, which will allow the public to report direct feedback quickly and easily.

Lime has also committed to “regular and transparent” reporting on its action plan, and will provide updates on the progress that has been made to tackle parking and overcrowding.

> Lime contractor tracked seized e-bikes to council lock-up and took them back

“Since we launched in 2018, London has embraced Lime’s e-bikes. While demand has surged, infrastructure and our ability to ensure riders always have somewhere to park safely and considerately has not kept pace, leading to parking challenges across our industry,” Lime CEO Wayne Ting said in a statement announcing the plan.

“The feedback we’ve received from London residents, community groups, and elected officials is why we’re launching our London Action Plan. We recognise the need for meaningful investments to accelerate change and improve parking, starting with more funding for dedicated e-bike parking, and additional operational capacity and processes.

“This £20m plan brings together crucial changes across our business that will help improve our service so that all Londoners can get around the city easily, and safely.

“We’re not stopping here. We’re still working on more solutions to enhance our operations in London, and we’re excited to update our London Action Plan throughout the year with additional improvements we’re making.

“London is a world-leading city with ambitious active travel and climate targets, and we will continue to collaborate with London boroughs, TfL and the Mayor of London to make it not only more sustainable, but more accessible and inclusive too.”

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Meanwhile, Tom Fyans, the chief executive of the London Cycling Campaign: “Lime bikes are changing the face of cycling in London, bringing joy to a huge and diverse audience new to cycling in London. But with that comes great responsibility, and LCC is pleased to see Lime taking the lead in improving its operations and ensuring this increase in people’s mobility is a win-win for all Londoners.

“With this new investment, Lime is helping ensure new riders cycle and park more responsibly. We now need all councils and TfL to get behind this revolution in mobility and ensure more Londoners have the chance to enjoy the benefits.

“The increased investment in the Share the Joy fund will also give a massive boost to those working in London’s diverse communities to ensure more people experience the freedom and life-transforming power of cycling.”