E-Bikes in Hornsey: Convenience vs. Chaos?
- Councillor Adam Small
- Jun 1
- 3 min read
If you’ve walked around Hornsey recently, you’ve probably spotted the bright green Lime bikes dotted across our streets — and in many cases, unfortunately, strewn across pavements and public spaces.
While these dockless e-bikes are undeniably popular (over 160,000 rides are taken each week in Haringey alone), they’ve also brought with them real challenges for residents. Too often, bikes are left blocking pavements, making it difficult — or impossible — for people with wheelchairs, pushchairs, or limited mobility to get by safely.
Who is responsible?
One of the most frustrating aspects for residents is that councils currently have very limited legal powers to directly control Lime and other dockless bike operators. Lime does not need a license to operate here, and if we were to collect and impound bikes ourselves, it would come at a huge cost to the Council and therefore to residents.
We believe this cost should fall to Lime, and we are pushing them to take more responsibility for how their customers park and use the bikes. We’re working with other London councils to push for a pan-London agreement, and we’re clear that stronger national regulation is urgently needed to create a fairer, more responsible system.
As our Labour Council Leader Cllr Peray Ahmet has said, “While we welcome new ways for residents to travel sustainably, this cannot come at the expense of accessibility and safety. We need stronger national regulation to create a fairer and more responsible e-bike market — and we’re pushing for this alongside other London councils.”
What is being done locally?
Even without new national powers, we are taking action locally. Our Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment and Transport, Cllr Mike Hakata, has been leading negotiations with Lime to tackle dumped bikes and poor parking.
Mike met with Lime in the autumn to discuss stronger enforcement, and has followed up with a formal letter demanding evidence of the steps they are taking.
As a result of this push:
Lime has increased the number of operatives patrolling Haringey to 24, to remove bikes left in dangerous or obstructive places.
50,000 warnings and fines have been issued in Haringey so far.
250 riders have been banned for repeat offences.
Lime now responds to resident complaints within one hour in Haringey.
Mike has also pressed Lime on e-bike hacking, which affects around 0.5% of their bikes in London. While Lime retrofitted their bikes in 2023 to reduce hacking, Mike is calling for further action to strengthen security and better track illegal riding on pavements.
New parking solutions
A big part of the solution lies in infrastructure. This Labour administration are rolling out mandatory on-carriageway parking bays, which take bikes off the pavement altogether.
We aim to install 50–60 bays by March, with a target of 200 bays next year and 300 by 2026.
Priority areas include borough boundaries (Enfield, Barnet, Waltham Forest), main corridors like Green Lanes and Tottenham High Road, and residential streets with high numbers of dumped bikes.
These bays will be mandatory, meaning riders within 100m must use them or face fines. We are also designing barriers to stop bikes tipping over.
What can residents do?
Residents play an important role in helping us tackle this problem. If you spot a badly parked bike, please report it directly:
Lime: Report here
Forest: Report here
Or via Fix My Street: Report here
Every report helps us build the evidence we need to push Lime (and other operators) to do better. If you can, please also move it out of the way so that disabled residents are not caught short.
Looking ahead
We are determined to make sure e-bikes continue to be a convenient and green way to get around — but not at the expense of safe, accessible streets. Our cabinet member for climate action and transport, Mike Hakata, continues to meet with Lime and other operators, pushing for tougher enforcement and better solutions.
At the same time, we’re calling for new national powers to give local councils stronger control over dockless bike schemes. Without this, the costs and challenges fall unfairly on local authorities and residents.
