E-bikes Hire and E-scooter Rental Bays Consultation

Overview

Please note, text with * beside and the map were added on 21st March 2024 to explain this is the first phase of the consultation with faqs and show an overview of the proposed locations.

Wandsworth Council is seeking views on the introduction of up to 141 parking bays for hire electric bikes (e-bikes) and electric scooters (e-scooters).

Electric hire bikes (e-bikes)

We are working with e-bike companies to formalise the provision of e-bike dockless hire schemes in the borough. Hundreds of thousands of e-bike journeys are made and completed in the borough every year. The Council currently allows a free-floating parking requirement for e-bikes users in Wandsworth Borough. This parking method relies on users parking the e-bikes on the pavement in a sensible manner.

TfL E-scooter trial

The Council will also be participating in the Transport for London (TfL) multi-borough E-scooter Rental Trial. E-scooters are a new form of transport and are only legal for use on roads in the UK if they are rented as part of the trial which has been authorised by the government. The following three operators are taking part in the TfL trial: Lime, Dott and Voi. An overview of the e-scooter trial is available here. 

Parking bays

In response to feedback we have received about pavement parking of e-bikes, the Council is proposing to install designated parking bays. This proposal would better manage the large number of e-bikes and reduce the extent of problems caused by some e-bikes being parked poorly on the pavement.

When the bays are installed, it will be compulsory to park e-bikes in a designated bay within busy town centres. This means users will not be able to end their rides unless the bikes are parked in a designated bay.

The parking bays will also be available for hire e-scooters on a trial basis. All hire e-scooters must use the parking bays provided and they cannot be left on the pavement. This will apply across the whole borough.

• Up to £300

• Up to 6 penalty points on a driving licence 

• Confiscation of the e-scooter 

Designated parking locations

We will be introducing the parking bays in two phases, with the first phase proposing bays for up to 141 locations, which have been chosen as the most suitable. *We are introducing the bays in phases. If your area/ward is not included in this first phase, we will be consulting over the summer on proposed bays in your area. In the meantime, parking an e-bike in these areas will remain unaffected. Some frequently asked questions, can be found here.

The bays would be initially introduced as a trial, where we will consider any feedback, as well as our own monitoring of the operation of the bays before deciding whether to keep, withdraw or amend the new bays.

Why have these locations been chosen?

The locations for the e-bike and e-scooter bays have been chosen to help address concerns around the management of e-bikes in busy town centres and to also provide a comprehensive parking network across the borough. As the e-scooter trial also operates in the neighbouring boroughs of Richmond and Lambeth, providing a robust parking network will help improve connectivity within and beyond the Borough. This approach will make the e-scooter scheme more attractive to users as they will be able to move seamlessly between boroughs.

Have your say

Please give us your views on the proposed parking bay locations by clicking on the Online Survey link below. If you require a paper copy of the survey or a different language/format, please contact 020 8871 6293 or transportation@richmondandwandsworth.gov.uk 

What happens next 

All feedback will be carefully considered before any decisions are made about the proposed locations. The Council aims to start installing the bays over the summer of 2024.