The Lime e-bikes were spotted blocking the pavement along the aptly-named road
Dozens of Lime bikes were spotted obstructing a London road earlier this week, aptly named Lime Street. Benedict Simms, 28, captured a photo of dozens of the bikes cluttering the pavement in central London shortly after 2pm on Tuesday, September 15.
The insurance worker, who said he believed there were ‘between 50 and 70’ bikes stationed on the street, said people could “barely walk round” the mass of bicycles.
He said: “At the office there were four bikes in front of the doors, so I could barely get out, then I turned to the right and saw that. In the picture, that was maybe half of the bikes on the street.”
He added: “There was a lorry driver who had to get out and move four bikes just to get out it – there’s always delivery drivers parked up even though they’re not meant to. It’s just a super hectic corner of the street, in the morning you’ve got a million Lime bikes cycling to that spot trying to find a little parking space.”
Benedict continued: “You hear a lot of sighs if you stand around that little spot for five minutes. You hear the locals getting p***ed off.”
The Lime app indicates the area at the south of the street has now been designated a ‘no parking zone’ – cautioning users they may face a fine if they do abandon their bike there.
A Lime spokesperson said: “Obstructive parking is an issue we take very seriously. Cycling in London is at record levels – with more than 1 in 10 trips now made on shared e-bikes. Designated parking for e-bikes has not kept up with this rapid growth in demand.”
The spokesperson added: “To help fix this we have invested more in parking than any other e-bike operator in London, helping fund more than 3,400 bays. But as several commenters in the Reddit thread have noted, more parking is still needed.”
They continued: “We’re committed to working with councils across London to expand parking capacity and ensure the network keeps pace with how people are travelling.”
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