For the last 18 months Westminster City Council has been trialing the use of 350 physical and virtual parking bays for hired e-bikes, and is now proposing that they are made permanent.
The Council introduced the mandatory parking bay scheme in 2023, under which users of hired e-bikes and scooters had to end their trips in a designated bay. The bays were spread across the borough, with more bays in the areas where demand is highest and a parking bay within a 5-minute walk of every household in Westminster.
The council extended a number of existing bays designated for e-scooters and repurposed underused car parking spaces. More than 100 geofenced virtual bays were also created at under-used bike stands.
There are around 600,000 bike journeys made each month in Westminster and this has naturally led to complaints about bikes being left carelessly.
Following the trial, they are now planning on making 177 of the physical bays permanent and they plan to consult on expanding the parking infrastructure further.
The bike companies employ teams of rangers to patrol parking bays and streets, ensuring e-bikes are properly parked and moving any that block pavements. Additionally, the council uses its powers under the Highways Act to seize abandoned bikes considered an ‘imminent danger’ to public safety
Councillor Max Sullivan, Cabinet Member for Streets, said: ‘Cycling is a great way to get around the city and, as a council, we want to make it as easy as possible to hop on a bike — but too often shared e-bikes in Westminster cause obstruction on our pavements.
‘That’s why I’m glad to confirm that our network of e-bike parking bays will continue to be a feature of Westminster streets, and part of lessening the impact on pedestrians of the over 600,000 journeys by shared e-bike per month in our borough.
‘This combined with fines from bike companies for irresponsible parking and the Council’s powers to seize abandoned bikes will help ensure Westminster’s streets remain clear and accessible for everyone.
‘The council welcomes the Government’s English Devolution White Paper and wants to see a new regulatory framework so councils can control e-bike hire schemes in their area.
‘At the same time, we’re rolling our more secure cycle parking for residents, with another 41 hangers by the end of March, providing 246 parking spaces, so that more residents can choose to own and store their own bike, and accelerating the delivery of protected cycleways across Westminster.’