Council to institute e-bike parking ban

By Charlotte Lillywhite, Local Democracy Reporter

Riders will be banned from abandoning e-bikes on town centre pavements under a new council scheme.

Wandsworth Council will bring the ban into force once it has finished installing 111 parking bays for e-bikes across the borough, including bays in Clapham Junction, Tooting Broadway, Tooting Bec, Wandsworth Town, Balham and Putney town centres.

The scheme aims to tackle inconsiderate e-bike parking in the borough, which blocks pavements for pedestrians. The council began installing the parking bays on June 20, and expects to complete the works in four weeks.

The authority said e-bike parking will be banned on pavements in busy town centre locations once all the bays have been installed, while responsible ‘free-floating’ parking will still be allowed away from these hotspots and in quieter parts of the borough. More e-bike parking bays are expected to be installed later in the year.

David Tidley, head of transport strategy at the council, said it supports the use of e-bikes as a ‘convenient travel option’ for residents and visitors, but that they cause issues when parked inconsiderately. He said: “These new bays will help riders to park in fixed town-centre locations and encourage considerate parking.”

Pictured top : E-bike on a pavement (Picture: Charlotte Lillywhite)