Discarded e-bikes initiative lauded by institute for the blind

By Kelsey McCable

A national organisation for blind people has backed Wandsworth council’s plans to ban the abandonment of e-bikes on town centre pavements.

Wandsworth council’s new scheme will ban riders from abandoning their e-bikes on high-traffic pavements, where they may block pedestrians. The ban will take effect following the installation of 111 new parking bays across the borough, set to be completed in July.

So far, the local authority has not outlined how it intends to enforce the ban, or whether any fines might be issued for offenders, but the move has been warmly received by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB).

Erik Matthies, policy officer for the organisation, said: “We welcome Wandsworth council’s announcement on a ban on dockless bikes being left on pavements, which is a massive step towards making the town inclusive and accessible for blind and partially sighted people.”

There was a caveat, however.

Mr Matthies expressed concern that the ban applies only to town centre pavements, saying that blind pedestrians may not know where to expect that bikes may begin to obstruct their path again.

He recommended the installation of new parking racks in residential areas as a way to alleviate this concern.

The current parking bay installations began on June 20, and were projected to be completed in four weeks. More parking bays are expected to be installed later in the year.

“We urge other councils to follow Wandsworth’s lead and make their areas accessible for everyone,” Mr Matthies said.

Picture: Wikimedia Commons/Ser Amantio di Nicolao