Dockless hire bike operators must take action – an open letter

Dear Lime and Forest hire bike operators 

In Islington we are working hard to make our borough safer, cleaner, healthier and more environmentally friendly for the benefit of everyone who lives, works and travels here. Providing affordable, environmentally-friendly options of travel is a big part of that. 

Whilst the council recognises the value of the 10 million journeys made in 2025 and the role hire bikes play in meeting our ambitions; persistent problems are undermining the benefits. These issues have been raised repeatedly but remain unresolved. To ensure the schemes’ sustainable future, we require progress on the following seven points: 

Obstructive parking – Bikes must not block pavements causing hazards and accessibility problems; GPS and AI technology must be improved to ensure bikes are not left in dangerous locations; riders educated to stop red light running; improvements to ensure bikes can’t be hacked and used illegally; and deployment of bikes managed responsibly without overloading bays, especially in locations around our hospitals, health centres, schools and other key locations.  

Nighttime noise – Operations between 11pm and 6am must cease at sites where more than one complaint is raised. Tailored plans are needed to reduce disruption, including quieter handling practices. 

Estates – Geofenced No Parking and Go-Slow Zones must be activated and maintained on estates that the council makes requests for to address access issues and antisocial behaviour. 

Overcapacity bays – Bays must have strict maximum limits enforced via your apps. Overflowing sites such as at the transport hubs of Highbury and Islington and Finsbury Square require swift removal of excess bikes. 

Data transparency – The council needs full visibility of bike numbers, bay usage, and compliance metrics. Data dashboards must be shared with the council including total fleet figures in Islington at any one time. 

Enforcement – The council has removed more than 200 dangerously placed bikes under the Highways Act. Retrieval will only occur once significant fees are paid. Operational improvements must be put in place to prevent repeat removals and ensure good pavement access for all.  

Bike tracking – GPS accuracy of bike tracking must be improved immediately to ensure better compliance with parking in designated bays and address pavement access issues and spill into wider bays. 

Until such measures are undertaken, obstructive bikes will continue to be enforced, bikes removed and you as operators charged significant sums to retrieve these bikes. Where persistent non-compliance is evident, we will remove access to spaces. 

Islington Council remains committed to supporting environmentally friendly travel and continues to take steps to help facilitate the use of hire bikes in the borough. In the past year we have: 

• Added 115 dedicated hire bike bays bringing the total number to over 200 bays  

• Enforced against badly parked bikes by removing more than 200 from our streets 
• Engaged with residents and users via our various channels to encourage considerate parking and safe usage 

However, we cannot solve these issues alone.  

To make hire bike usage a fair and sustainable option in Islington we need you the operators to act and do so swiftly, decisively, and effectively to protect residents and businesses from ongoing disruption.  

We welcomed you to the borough because of the benefits that hire bikes bring - but without urgent action on these issues, this welcome will be withdrawn. 

Yours sincerely, 

Cllr Una O’Halloran  

Leader of Islington Council 

Cllr Rowena Champion

Executive Member for Environment, Air Quality, and Transport