Residents of London borough beg for solution to ‘dockless bike crisis’

Residents in an east London borough have called for action over a ‘dockless bike crisis’ that is making pavements dangerous for pedestrians.

Tower Hamlets Council is considering introducing designated parking zones after campaigners warned that badly parked bikes were creating hazards, particularly on ‘narrow and congested pavements’ around Brick Lane, Spitalfields and Shoreditch.

The petition was presented to councillors on October 7 by campaigners Abul Khair, Guljar Khan and Yasmin Haque, who said the problem had gone on for far too long.

They stressed that members of the public were not against cycling, but wanted to stop bikes being abandoned in places where they could block people’s way.

Khair told councillors: ‘What may seem like a minor inconvenience can quickly become a serious obstruction for people trying to move around safely.

‘For wheelchair users, parents with pushchairs, older residents and people with mobility needs, a badly parked bike can mean leaving the pavement and stepping on to the road.’

He said campaigners had been raising the issue with senior council managers for more than a year, but had so far ‘seen no improvements’.

Khair also called for antisocial behaviour officers to monitor problem hotspots and remove bikes causing obstructions.

There were even calls to create areas where dockless bikes would be banned altogether.

Tower Hamlets chief executive Stephen Halsey confirmed that work on designated parking zones was under way.

‘The options that are available to the council are to do what Hackney, Islington and other inner London boroughs have done, which is have parking zones,’ he said.

‘That piece of work is currently under way.’