A central London council has seized 1,000 dangerously parked e-bikes – generating more than £81,000 in “release fees”.
Kensington and Chelsea launched the crackdown in response to complaints from residents about Lime, Forest and Voi rental bikes that were being abandoned on pavements and residential streets.
It is the latest local authority to impound the bikes and charge the firms to get them back – raising income for other enforcement action.
A total of 1,000 bikes have been seized by the Tory-run council since January. Hotspots include near Harrods in Knightsbridge.
The council acted after residents said the dockless bikes were blocking roads and pavements and were a trip hazard.
E-bike firms have to pay a one-off “seizure fee” plus a daily storage fee if the bikes are not collected within 14 days.
Cllr Johnny Thalassites, lead member for planning and environment at Kensington and Chelsea, said: “Our residents are sick of rental e-bikes being left obstructing roads and pavements.
“We had no choice but to take tough action and our team has seized 1,000 dangerously parked bikes. It is making a difference with operators working with us to clear overflowing bays more regularly and posting their staff in hot spots.
“E-bikes have boomed and they are a convenient way for people to get around, but legislation is lagging behind. Long term, we need a solution from Government about how the demand and operations are managed by the providers.”
Government legislation that would give Transport for London the power to introduce a capital-wide licensing system for dockless e-bikes is at least a year away.
Officers are notified via reports from residents, or by patrols in the streets of the borough, particularly in hotspot areas, such as around Harrods.
The council said bikes were removed in accordance with the Highways Act. This allows bikes to be seized if they are “lying across the highway, obstructing safe passage” or “are positioned on the pavement in a way that forces pedestrians to step into the road to pass”.
Action is also allowed where bikes are “likely to fall over, posing a risk of injury to pedestrians” or are “situated in the road in a manner that endangers drivers or pedestrians”.
A Lime spokesperson said: "We recognise that misparked bikes are a challenge across the industry, largely due to e-bike parking not keeping pace with growing demand from riders.
"That’s why we’ve made major investments to improve parking as part of our London action plan. Riders must submit an end-trip photo, with those parking obstructively receiving warnings, fines, or bans for repeat offences. We’ve also expanded our on-street team to remove misparked bikes and ease congestion in busy areas."
There are 246 rental e-bike parking bays in Kensington and Chelsea, and an estimated 3,000 bays across London.
Where bikes are outside a bay, but not causing an obstruction, enforcement officers report the bikes to the relevant operator.
They have to move them within two to six hours or risk the bikes being seized, is in line with a Memorandum of Understanding signed by operators and the council.
