OPINION
PHOTO COURTESY OF LIME BIKES
for example, people may be more likely to abandon bikes and cause obstructions. We are contributing to tackling this issue: through our £5m London Parking Fund and wider parking investment, we have awarded nearly £1m to nine boroughs, funding 586 new and improved bays this year alone – part of the 3,400+ bays we have helped fund in total across the capital. But the challenge around parking isn’t just financial: the battle for street space gets political, so new bays can take time. The Department for Transport (DfT) and Transport for
London (TfL) therefore have no shortage of challenges to resolve before a London-wide licensing scheme – and citywide schemes across England – take effect. Take insurance as an example. Since 2020, Lime has
voluntarily provided third-party liability cover for its e-bike riders in the UK. This gives eligible riders protection for legal liability for third-party bodily injury or property damage arising from a covered Lime trip, and gives affected third parties a clear route to bring a claim. But micromobility is still a young insurance market, with limited products available. That has implications for what DfT and TfL decide to do in this space – whether to mandate a certain level of cover or set an advisory minimum standard, for example. So the choices and trade-offs are by no means
straightforward, but we can learn lessons from elsewhere. In other markets, regulation has been put into place more quickly, while the UK has seen several legislative sessions without any progress until the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act passed earlier this year. We now await secondary legislation and guidance on the detailed
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framework, with various consultation periods in between. We ask that, in designing regulation for our sector, DfT
and TfL borrow from mature regulatory frameworks in other markets and sectors which take a constructive, partnership approach – intended to ultimately grow cycling; make the sector work better for users and stakeholders; and also work for operators. That should include reflecting the challenges operators have historically faced in keeping their service viable, for example in the face of vandalism or poor individual rider behaviour, which can never fully be controlled by operators – much like no train operator can ultimately stop all trespassers, which costs the railway millions every year. Clear, mutually understood standards and expectations are critical, as is proportionate enforcement – with operators given a fair opportunity to rectify any shortcomings, without of course compromising the ability of authorities to act swiftly where needed. The debate around our sector has too often become polarised, so our plea is not to throw out the baby with the bathwater. As technology and the sector mature, longstanding friction points must and will improve, and operators must be held accountable for this. But amidst all the noise, let’s not forget the substantial benefits shared e-bikes have brought to our cities. London is now unimaginable without this way of getting around, and not just because of Lime’s inexplicable cultural cachet on social media – but because we are part of the solution for very real transport challenges: we help connect people with others, save them time, and, in our own small way, open up new opportunities. ●
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