New ePetition about Dockless bikes (Mobikes etc)
Are you happy with the way these new bikes just landed on our streets? Within weeks they seemed to become randomly distributed around all our local roads left in an amazing variety of inconvenient places – often on their side and some have even been seen in rivers.There’s a new petition about this on the Ealing Council website (there’s a separate one for Hounslow – below)https://ealing.cmis.uk.com/ealing/E-petitions.aspx • These are commercial schemes which should be creating a new, flexible and cheap choice of transport. • Instead, many users seem to ignore pedestrians who might just want to walk on uncluttered pavements and roads o With blocked thoroughfares life gets harder. o Harder for the young o Harder for Mums with buggies or pushchairs o Harder for our more elderly neighbours o Harder even for the users – who wants to get to a bike on the app at the end of a cul de sac? • Any other type of pavement/road blockage is often regarded as unlawful • There was recent news came that the bikes had also been used in drug related crime • If the gps technology is vandalised they can simply go off grid and are left • If the batteries run down the operators say they can simply go off grid and “disappear” • It can also be argued the schemes are in breach of the tfl code of practice • http://content.tfl.gov.uk/dockless-bike-share-code-of-practice.pdf • There simply seems to be no scheme management at all which is not consistent with what tfl seem to think is appropriateThere are commercial schemes with negligible management or responsibilityThe petition on the council website (https://ealing.cmis.uk.com/ealing/E-petitions.aspx) needs 1500 signatures to “win” a council debate OBJECTIVES1. To have a council debate2. For the council to agree to a public consultation (in common with Hounslow council - https://haveyoursay.hounslow.gov.uk/traffic-and-transport/dockless/consultation/intro/ )3. Then for Ealing to agree to a complete scheme review based on the results of the public consultationThe deadline for the 1500 signatures is March 18th
Don Tanswell ● 2255d2 Comments