Lime to invest into parking bays in Brent amid safety concerns
Rental electric bike provider Lime has agreed to invest hundreds of thousands into bike parking bay spaces across Brent amid safety concerns from residents.
Brent set a deadline of October 31st before it started removing the dockless e-bikes from the borough if concerns were not addressed.
Councillor Krupa Sheth, cabinet member for environment and enforcement, said: “Since raising our concerns with Lime earlier this year, we’ve spent considerable time at the table with them, communicating residents’ issues, outlining our expectations, and closely reviewing their proposals.”
Sheth added: “We’ve squeezed a number of really important improvements out of Lime, and it is welcome that they have listened to residents’ feedback and are taking immediate steps to change.”
Negotiations have been completed on how to best improve the bike rental services operations in Brent, with a new business model to be implemented.
Hal Stevenson, director of policy at Lime, UK, said: “We are pleased to have reached an agreement with Brent Council to continue offering our service to the tens of thousands of residents that rely on us daily across the borough.”
Stevenson said: “Over the past two months, we’ve collaborated closely with the Council to establish an action plan that will deliver immediate, on-street improvements, while also funding the creation of a new network of mandatory parking locations by July 1.”
Priority areas will receive 200 new parking bays, which will also be enforced in phases. This is to be completed by July 1st 2025. The fleet of bikes will also be reduced from 750 to 500 immediately, the council will require consulting before the number is increased again.
Zones, where parking has previously been poor, will be established to prevent parking. Automatic ‘slow zone’ speed controls will be introduced in busy hotspots, such as Wembley Stadium and Wembley High Road. Dedicated event plans for the stadium will also be implemented.
Brent will also see the number of patrollers and parking wardens increase by 78% to ensure any issues reported can be dealt with quickly. A newly created email will help residents remove any inappropriately parked bikes within two hours, whilst fines from poor parking will be reinvested into the community through the councils Together Towards Zero grant scheme.
Finally, a new cycling forum will be launched, meeting quarterly to provide cycling training sessions each month for Brent residents.
Sheth said: “This council supports active travel, but safety is non-negotiable. We hope that we have turned a corner with Lime and expect residents to see real, noticeable improvements from now on. We will hold Lime to these new commitments to ensure they are honoured.”
Stevenson added: “Our significant investment in this network demonstrates our commitment to working alongside Brent to provide long-term solutions that address community concerns, while continuing to support their efforts to ensure more journeys in the Borough are taken by bike.”
Stevenson said: “We are listening to our Council partners and taking action to manage the record demand for our e-bikes responsibly.”
