Westminster City Council has seized 929 dangerously parked dockless bikes so far this year, and fined operators more than £300,000, the Westminster Times has reported. Most of the seized bikes were removed from central areas, where large clusters regularly block pavements and roads.
Council officers have also issued 4,904 fixed penalty notices to operators in the financial year so far, almost four times the total for the whole of the previous year.
In her report, Cllr Caroline Sargent, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Enforcement, said residents will soon be able to use the council's Report It tool to flag bikes from several operators in a single report. She also noted that available resources currently limit how much further the council can go.
Living Streets said badly parked e-bikes are particularly dangerous for wheelchair users, people with mobility aids, blind and partially sighted people and families with young children. The operators said they were working with the council, sharing real-time data on where their bikes are, increasing on-street teams and penalising riders who park badly, while pointing to a need for more parking bays.
You can read Ryan Prosser's article in the Westminster Times in full here.
