Thousands of electric bikes seized as councils vent anger over 'irresponsibly' blocked paths

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Dockless ebikes now account for roughly one in 10 of London's estimated 1.5 million daily cycling trips, TfL figures suggest

London councils have confiscated around 3,400 dockless e-bikes so far in 2026, already exceeding last year's total by 23 per cent, a new investigation has found.

California-headquartered Lime, the capital's largest rental ebike operator, was responsible for more than 2,000 of those seizures.

The figures, obtained by the Guardian, came from responses by 19 reporting authorities across the 21 boroughs with dockless bike contracts, plus the City of London.

Nine of those authorities reported no seizures or fines, and three failed to respond or said they did not hold the relevant data.

Campaigners warn that the growing number of abandoned bikes on pavements is severely affecting some of the city's most vulnerable residents.

Camden councillor James Slater described the regulatory landscape across the capital as a "jigsaw puzzle" and called for a unified London-wide approach.

He said: "It's very difficult for 32 councils in London to all have slightly different policies, and in some cases different operators on borough boundaries."

Mr Slater pointed to specific disruptions in his borough, including ebikes dumped in residents' parking bays and blocking roads.

He added: "During the solar eclipse we had swarms of ebikes around Primrose Hill and Hampstead Heath. The operators have a responsibility to make sure the bikes are not causing a public nuisance."

Hire companies have pushed back, arguing that councils are failing to invest adequately in dedicated parking bays, which they say would reduce the accumulation of poorly parked bikes on footways.

The English devolution bill, which became law in April, grants TfL new powers to license dockless ebike operators and impose standards on parking, safety and accessibility across the capital.

The authority is expected to use these powers to establish a single regulatory framework covering all of London's boroughs.

A spokesman for the mayor's office said it was working with TfL and the Department for Transport on the secondary legislation needed to bring in "much-needed controls as quickly as possible."

They added: "It’s vital that safety improvements sit at the heart of any future regulation to ensure the industry can continue to thrive. The mayor continues to urge all dockless operators to fully engage with London boroughs and TfL to ensure their services work well for all Londoners."

A spokesman for Lime argued that the fact that it is the biggest ebike operator in London should be taken into account when considering the number of its bikes seized, adding that these incidents mostly occurred at overcrowded parking bays.

They told the Guardian: "The vast majority of our riders end their trips responsibly, and a very small proportion of total rides result in seizures and fines by councils. We recognise that parking is a challenge across the industry largely due to ebike parking not keeping pace with growing demand for rental ebike services."

Forest also said the number of designated parking bays had not kept pace with demand, adding that it was “working close with boroughs to encourage responsible parking and ensure our service works for everyone”.

A Voi spokesman said: "Voi vehicles should never be parked in a way that blocks access routes, lift areas, pavements, entrances or emergency routes. We recognise the particular impact poor parking can have on disabled people, parents with pushchairs and people using mobility aids, and we take reports of obstruction seriously."

GB News has approached Lime, Forest and Voi for further comment.