Badly parked Lime bikes turning Haringey into 'death trap', disability group warns

The council pledged “strong action” against Lime earlier this year but the bright green e-bikes are continuing to create hazardous obstacles for pedestrians across the borough, reports Raphael Henry

Lime bikes blocking a pavement in Haringey (credit Raphael Henry) — Lime bikes pictured this week blocking a pavement in Cromwell Avenue, Highgate (credit Raphael Henry)

A Haringey disability centre has accused Lime of turning Haringey into “a death trap” as their e-bikes continue to cause pavement obstructions across the borough.

Keith Fair, operations manager for the Markfield Project, said he is “yet to see” any improvement in antisocial Lime bike parking since Haringey Council pledged “strong action” to tackle the issue in April.

Keith also highlighted widespread problems with dockless e-bikes being stolen in the borough and called on Lime to “recall” their bikes and make them “impossible to steal”.

Since the dockless e-bike trial began in Haringey in February 2024, there has been growing concern among residents about the impact of the 1,300 Lime and Forest bikes operating in Haringey. The scheme is due for review in September.

According to Keith, e-bikes are often abandoned on pavements, causing difficulties for residents with mobility issues and parents pushing prams or buggies.

“There are always bikes left on the pavements, and the pavements are very narrow, so you are forced to use the roads,” he said. “It’s a death trap. It is really distressing.”

He added that the entrance to the Markfield Project, a community centre for people with disabilities near Markfield Park, is often blocked by e-bikes that prevent people from entering the building.

In response Lime says it has expanded its “on-street team” who “tidy and remove mis-parked bikes” which has led to a “marked improvement” this year.

Mike Hakata, the council’s cabinet member for transport, had pledged in April to take “strong action” to tackle “problematic parking of dockless e-bikes in Haringey”. He said the council is aiming to add 60 parking bays across the borough by the end of the year, taking the total to 100, and to triple this to 300 parking bays by the end of 2026.

At the time of the announcement Cllr Hakata added: “We’ve heard your concerns, we share your concerns, and we’re working together to build a fairer, greener and more active borough.”

However, Keith criticised the way these parking bays are being rolled out, claiming that one bay near the Markfield Project now obstructs a bike lane, causing problems for cyclists.

“[The council] don’t think about the actual user, they just think about ticking boxes,” Keith claimed.

A Lime bikes parked in the middle of the pavement along Green Lanes in Harringay (credit Raphael Henry) — A Lime bike parked in the middle of the pavement along Green Lanes in Harringay (credit Raphael Henry)

According to a report released by Lime in June, dockless e-bikes now account for nearly 150,000 journeys a month in Haringey – an increase of 145% in just one year.

But Keith said he’s also concerned about the rise in people riding stolen Lime bikes. “The bikes are too easy to steal,” he said. “You see whole families out on Lime bikes that have been stolen – it has been normalised, so now people don’t even think it’s a crime.

“Lime needs to recall all the bikes and make them impossible to steal.”

In response to the concerns raised, a Lime spokesperson said: “We recognise that one of the most significant challenges facing our industry is the issue of mis-parked bikes.

“We take this seriously, which is why outside of fining and banning repeat offenders for poor parking, we have expanded our on-street team who tidy and remove mis-parked bikes to ease congestion at busy locations.

“This has led to marked improvements over the last six months.

“The vast majority of people use Lime bikes responsibly, but when vehicles are stolen, damaged or misused, we take it extremely seriously.

“We’re taking further action to prevent vandalism of our bikes this month, and we continue to work with TfL and local authorities to hold offenders to account.”

Sarah Williams, the council’s deputy leader, said: “We understand the concerns around the problematic parking of dockless e-bikes, but also see the benefits they bring for residents. We have been working with our service providers and undertaken a consultation to work out the most proactive solution to this issue.

“It is clear that dockless e-bikes are becoming an ever-increasing and important mode of sustainable, active travel around the borough. However, this should not be at the expense of accessibility of our pedestrians not being able to safely use our pavements.

“As a result of our consultation, we have created a programme which should see a carriageway bay being implemented every 100m to stop any non-compliant parking between bays.

“We are in regular contact with our service providers to make sure non-compliant and vandalised bikes are being redeployed and fixed within a 24-hour period. We understand this remains an issue and we will keep monitoring the situation.

“Vandalism has been a prominent issue in the borough with bikes being stolen and damaged. This is unacceptable behaviour and will not be tolerated in the borough. We are in communication with the service providers to ensure they are aware of the problem and will continue to raise concerns on behalf of our residents.”

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