Published: Wednesday 27 September 2023
Rental e-bike parking is being introduced across Kensington and Chelsea with 128 new painted parking spaces and 40 ‘virtual’ bays. The new spaces will make our borough one of the highest densities of rental e-bike parking spaces in London and the first agreement which includes all three leading providers.
The cycle parking spaces are designed to boost visibility in a positive way to encourage more people to take the rental e-bikes for short trips, rather than using their cars, cutting carbon emissions and improving air quality in the borough. It will also provide more cycle hire options for the north of the borough, which has fewer Santander bike hire locations than the south.
Cllr Cem Kemahli, lead member for planning, place and environment, said:
“Rental e-bikes are really handy for people making short trips and are a great alternative to taking the car or the tube. However abandoned rental e-bikes obstruct pavements causing real problems for pedestrians, people with disabilities and parents with children in buggies.
“Our new parking bays and action by providers to remove abandoned bikes will help us keep our pavements clear, making Kensington and Chelsea greener, safer and fairer for everyone.”
Who can park in the spaces?
The parking spaces are for rented e-bikes, not individually owned e-bikes which should still be locked securely when parked. If you hire a rental e-bike from Tier, Lime or Forest you can park in the designated parking bays.
How do I find rental e-bike parking?
There are 128 spaces that you can see on the streets of Kensington and Chelsea which are clearly marked as cycle hire parking. There are also 40 ‘virtual’ spaces which are not marked on the street but are permissible to park in. The areas will be marked in the Lime, Tier and Forest apps so people can see where they can find a bike and park when they make a hire.
What happens if I park outside the spaces?
Forest, Lime and Tier have all signed an agreement with the Council to introduce a geo-fenced no parking zone across the borough. Users will continue to be charged by the apps if they leave a bike anywhere outside the designated parking areas and repeat offenders will be subject to additional fines or bans.
How were the parking locations decided?
The locations were consulted on in the spring of this year and have been implemented in bays previously used for car parking. Residents in streets with e-bike parking will still be able to park their vehicles in other bays nearby.
Kensington and Chelsea Council has the most generous residents’ parking policy in London, allowing permit holders to park anywhere within the borough, not just in a designated zone near their home.
For queries or assistance in other language, contact the Council’s sustainable transport team by email at [email protected] or by phone on 020 7361 3628.