Westminster City Council is calling for harsher penalties for abandoned dockless bikes. Some users are charged as little as £2 for dumping bikes in the middle of the pavement.

The council has also called for dockless bike companies to agree a ‘fine structure’ to ensure all companies are charging users the same penalties if they park their bikes irresponsibly.

Penalty fines currently vary between different operators; for example, Lime charges users £2 for a second offence, whereas Human Forest charges up to £15 for a second parking offence.

Currently there is no agreement in place between the council and dockless bike companies on parking and the council is currently working with operators to identify sites for designated parking bays. However, the success of these sites depends on riders parking their bikes in the bays so the council believes encouraging responsible parking for all users is essential.

Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Cabinet Member for City Management and Air Quality, said:

“A warning and a £2 fine are doing little to stop people dumping these bikes all over the streets of central London.

“We are seeing thousands of dockless bikes left in Westminster every day and many of them are blocking pavements and roads. This is a safety hazard for pedestrians, especially for those with mobility needs and those with limited eyesight.

“If we see bikes parked dangerously the council will confiscate them. But the dockless bike companies need to do more and handing out harsher penalties to irresponsible users is a good place to start.”

• In August 2022, Westminster City Council began seizing dockless bikes that were creating a ‘dangerous obstruction’ to the highway.

• The council is currently working with dockless bike companies to agree locations for dedicated parking bays, but continues to receive daily complaints about bikes being dumped in the middle of the pavement.

• Penalty fines for irresponsible parking vary greatly between different operators.

• Lime issues a warning to users for a first offence; £2 for a second offence; £5 for a third offence; £10 for a fourth offence; followed by a £20 fine and a permanent ban for a fifth offence.

• Human Forest issues a warning for a first offence and a £15 fine for a second offence. Uses are banned permanently for a third offence.

• Dott users receive a £5 for abandoning vehicles outside of a bay. Repeat offenders are removed from the platform.

• Westminster Council wants to see a fine structure across all operators, so all users are charged the same fines for dumping their bikes.

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