A new crackdown on Lime bikes is being launched in central London in a bid to stop bad parkers leaving the cycles blocking pavements and roads.
Westminster council chiefs held meetings with the e-bike firm’s global chief executive, Wayne Ting, after an increasing number of complaints from residents.
Following the summit, the company has agreed to install “bluetooth beacons” to help prevent riders from being able to park bikes outside of the borough’s 360 designated bays.
The £10 fines handed to riders who dump cycles outside of the parking areas will be used to fund a campaign next year aimed at promoting responsible behaviour, including always stopping at red lights.
Town hall officers are working with Lime to identify suitable sites and install the bluetooth devices as soon as possible, the council said.
Parking locations will also be staffed at peak hours, with Lime workers responsible for “collecting surplus bikes from riders and parking them at nearby less busy locations”.
Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, cabinet Member for city management, said: “E-bike usage has grown hugely over the past year and it is vital that Lime and the other e-bike companies improve their day-to-day management of their bikes so that their riders do not obstruct the pavement or park outside the over 360 e-bike parking bays we have designated across Westminster.
“Meeting the Lime Global Chief Executive enabled us to be very clear and direct on what improvements are needed as a matter of urgency.
“We hope that the steps outlined by Lime are effective in improving rider behaviour and e-bike parking, as well as keeping our pavements safe for pedestrians.”
It means riders leaving cycles outside of certain areas face £10 fines and repeat offenders could even be banned by the companies.
The town hall extended a number of e-scooters bays and repurposed underused car parking spaces. In addition to the 200 physical bays, there are more than 100 “geofenced” virtual bays that have been set up at bike stands.
Dockless electric bikes are available for hire across the capital in schemes aimed at improving transport and cutting pollution.
But boroughs have been urged to clampdown on e-bike users who park badly or dump their cycles after an increasing number of complaints from residents.
Last year contractors working for the firm broke into a Hammersmith and Fulham council compound to take back dozens of cycles seized for blocking roads and pavements.
Hundreds of the bright green bikes were confiscated following more than 1,500 complaints from residents.
But about 70 of the cycles went missing from its impounds in Fulham and under the Hammersmith flyover after contractors working for Lime used the bike's GPS to track their position and then removed them from the local authority lock up to put them back on the streets.
The company confirmed the workers responsible had been sacked.
