Forum Topic

Just who is policing Lime Bikes ?

This past week, I've seen abandoned Lime Bikes leaning agains parked vehicles, laying on the pavements, blocking narrow pavements.In the last two days teenagers involved in a fight using them as weapons and others throwing them about to damage them.It is almost completely impossible to contact LimeBikes to report misuse and there is nothing on their site to report damage incurred to your or their property unless you are a Lime Bike registered user or use their App. How they expect you to note and scan the tine symbol on a bike is ridiculous. That's like asking a knife wielding individual to hold the knife steady while noting it's brand.Just who approved that? But what I did discover is you have to be over 18 to use a Limebike or scooter. So just how are clearly 14 and 15 years olds riding around on them all over the place?And if damage is incurred or an accident happens who is responsible?I note since that the Guardian has already run several reports on the lack of contact and impossibility to claim for damage to property from irresponsible use of the Lime Bike or leaving them in inappropriate places? And that's from a Paper very much supportive of Cycling.These e Bikes can go way over 20mph but the expectation is that it's a mature rider using it with diligence.

Raymond Havelock ● 1260d64 Comments

So long as a choice & not dictated to with ridiculous rules.These I actually fact discriminate against less able people

Peter Yale ● 1250d

Well, better to do it by bike if you can.

Paul James ● 1250d

& cars. Safely transport goods in the dry & warm too

Peter Yale ● 1250d

>And Ealing is very hilly even  now, whilst still fit,  struggle to cycle up many of the areas I could do when I was 12 or 25.Electric bikes fix that.

Paul James ● 1250d

Well put Raymond.When I learned to drive the first thing my instructor said was to assume that everyone else on the road is an idiot. That still holds true today, perhaps even more do given the stupid things pedestrians, cyclists, escooter riders, van drivers, lorry drivers, bus drivers and, yes, car drivers do every day. It seems the idea of personal responsibility has disappeared, in most areas of life but especially with road use. Nobody in their right mind should walk into a road without checking around them. Ditto riding a bike without having all your faculties about you.But that doesn’t fit the victim narrative, does it?

Simon Hayes ● 1251d

Yet again you only respond to what you want to.  I am a daily cyclist and have been since I was 12 and first was allowed to cycle to school. ( Which I might add was only permitted on proof of completing and passing the Met Police /RoSPA Cycling Proficiency course.)I still have my ILEA Cycle Licence which was required if I cycled to Hammersmith for sports.All based on proof of my responsibility.I've never ever felt 'victimised' out on my bike.  Seen a few bonkers manoeuvres and careless happenings but ride with constant spacial awareness and with courtesy to others - exactly the same as if I were in a car or van.  Ride to expect the unexpected.I did a Camden Council Urban Cycling course about 7 years ago now. I was not sure what else I could glean from that but in fact like my trade, it's arrogant to believe you know it all and close the mind to learning new tricks. I came away with a raft of new and useful techniques. None advocate ignoring road regulations or etiquette, just enhancing.  I still ride and feel safe in traffic.It's potholes, missing markings and bad surfaces that are a far bigger hindrance, especially in side streets.Learning to drive and subsequently learning to drive and HGV and then the advanced driving test is all about driving safely, efficiently and above all with due care and consideration.In fact exactly the same as the Cycling Proficiency Test.This victimisation stuff is nonsense.  You see someone in a car or a bike or a pedestrian do something stupid or dangerous, you note it.The problem is Ben, that far too many Cyclists, Scooterists and even pedestrians do something erratic, illegal, stupid or wilfully stupid far too often and this has increased massively.All are dangerous placing unnecessary risk either to themselves or to others.I cannot believe the analogy of a cyclist going to the front of a queue.That has always been the norm. To the degree that it's not noticeable unless someone does something dangerous or without due care.Far more likely are the queue jumpers in a car or van who then jam up the road or junction.That happens but locally it's more common on Motorway junctions, and it is frowned upon simply because you are taught NOT to do it.  And if caught do get fined and points.But if it's congested I don't cycle up the pavement to get to the front or ride up the inside of buses or HGVs.  But I see people do that every day.So clearly people do not comply or agree to what is really basic common sense.At most controlled junctions there are marked cycle areas. Where you can position to be safe and in front of vehicles where you can be clearly seen. Why Ben, am I one of the very few who actually use it correctly?  Why do I wait till the lights change?  Why do I get shouted at by other cyclists if I have blocked their way whilst waiting for an amber light ? That happens now but cannot remember that happening ever in the previous 30 odd years.Denmark so often used by TfL and LBE, has completely different topography to both London and most of the UK.  It is largely flat and where it is hilly uses traversing roads.  Complete opposite to here.And Ealing is very hilly even  now, whilst still fit,  struggle to cycle up many of the areas I could do when I was 12 or 25.  It's not something everyone can do and pedal or electric, it is still a machine and requires operator responsibility and care.  You still need spacial awareness, good sight and hearing and dexterity.As well as road sense.

Raymond Havelock ● 1251d

Oh, you’ve found some ‘research’ that supposedly answers everything? Not even related to this discussion but just something you toss in to deflect your lack of information. The use of the word ‘might’ in your post gives away the total lack of relevance of your point.Jumping a red light is illegal. I’ve been crossing the road ON FOOT (to clarify for your meagre intellect) and nearly been hit by a twit on a bike who thought it was his right if way at a pedestrian crossing. He ended up on the ground so perhaps he ought to have been more careful.Ben. Keep digging your hole or just go away. But when you end up under the wheels of a 38 tonne truck, because you thought it clever to jump a light, I hope your last words aren’t ‘that was a good choice ‘.

Simon Hayes ● 1251d

Summed it up nicely yourself.Cyclists “.feel “ like victims because they can’t follow basic etiquette & rules.Same as a queue jumper, you give em what for ,or a swift kick in the goolies.When you lot (cyclists) see fit to do whatever, why are you so surprised at backlash, hypocrites

Peter Yale ● 1251d

Just a thought.

N V Brooks ● 1251d

>'Victims'There is a Tom Stafford at University of Sheffield who did some research into this feeling of victimisation that you claim that people who cycle have. I have never felt it but it might actually exist amongst motorists. Stafford’s theory, is that motorists get angry at cyclists simply because they interrupt the natural social order of driving!He has found that when we get behind the wheel or on a bike, there is a direct and indirect set of rules to which we all agree. Raymond infers this in his post.Stafford’s point is if you arrive at the, say, post office and there’s a huge queue (isn't there always a huge queue?) you join the queue. That is the rule. (And the unwritten rule is to get mad at those that queue barge!).However, he thinks that it is because cyclists can legally and easily nip to the front of a queue that it disrupts "the natural social order."Just like a cyclist running a red light, cycling on the pavement or going the wrong way on a one way street to get to where they want to be quicker. I have never denied that some do, but not all. But it's disrupting that "natural social order" thing again.This imprint of red light jumping etc forces its way into Simon's et al brains, and it is that makes them think: “Bloody cyclists”.  A £200 bike getting from A to B faster, in a predicted time and a lot cheaper is just too much much for Ealing's drivers to bear. It's not the cyclist thinking they are the victim, but the motorist thinking and believing that we are thinking this. That's Stafford’s theory.It's tedious and boring. I better not ask why the Simons, Nigels, Raymonds and Peters of this world lump everyone who rides a bicycle in to one big group labelled “cyclists”?

Ben Owen ● 1251d

Sorry Ben, my opinion, for what it’s worth you are clutching at straws & frankly talking cobblers!I speak as a nearly 60 year old male & with complete & total respect to Mr Brooks, would categorise him as a mature male.By that  I mean he’s lived a bit, worked hard & not sat with his hand out, but got up & earned tried whatever to succeed (which clearly he has)So hypocrite- no chance & woke , no chance either.I never gave 2 seconds thought to cyclists before, I cycle myself.The road was for everyone & we all just got on with it.Now the cycling mafia. stamp cry, scream, dictate MORE MORE MORE.Road space, ltns, rights of way above all other vehicles.What you & your twin (Pjr) - sadiq Khan, with constant anti car rhetoric & moves. This makes me disrespect cyclists, 2 abreast because they can.People need cars - no one drives for fun.Some are dependent on cars & yes I understand pollution.I don’t accept these manipulated figures & you Lycra luvvies trying to bully the tax paying motorists

Peter Yale ● 1251d

Paul. Nobody is disputing that roads are paid for out of general taxation.What’s obvious to the more sentient members of society is that the bulk of road users drive motorised vehicles, certainly a far higher number than the tiny number of regular cyclists.Oh, and while you ‘may’ have seen people stopped for jumping lights it’s not something that happens very often locally. Considering the almost total absence of police in our streets I’d suggest 99.99 percent of cyclists who do it have never been stopped.And it’s a stupid and dangerous thing to do.

Simon Hayes ● 1251d

But comparing Denmark to the UK is like comparing apples to oranges. Different countries, mate. But if it’s that great you could emigrate there. Nice for cyclists I hear....Why do you always turn things round to make out cyclists are always victims, such as your ridiculous assertion about horse riders? Do you not get out much?The trouble is Ben your rants do nothing to further your cause. They just make others think that there’s definitely a lunatic element of cyclist pushing this agenda.

Simon Hayes ● 1251d

> Horse Riders are arguably the most courteous and wise road usersLet's say they are...but tell me this, would their charming and friendly character immediately change if they left the stables on a push bike?>Your inferences (maybe wrong but that's how they read) are that you do not have any respect for order rules and regulations or an understanding.Where do I state that? > Advocating wilful recklessness and then passing the onus to othersAgain, where have I suggested that?>using unsound factsI haven’t. I have told you a fact and you don't like it because it came from Denmark. The variance between the two countries is minimal. Denmark has 3.9 deaths per 1 billion vehicles km whilst in the UK it's 3.8 (source: Wikipedia)

Ben Owen ● 1252d

Well put, Raymond.Ben seems to have a serious perspective problem. Ranting away about car drivers over and over again. I’m sure some of his friends and family might even be car drivers, so does he include them on his hate list.What Ben seems not to comprehend is that all road users have a duty of care when out and about. Cycling proficiency should be part of that, in the same way that the Green Cross Code was for generations of children.Somehow that personal responsibility no longer applies in the world of Ben and co. Always someone else to blame. Very tedious.

Simon Hayes ● 1252d

Horse Riders are arguably the most courteous and wise road users as they know that they have a charge that has an element of unpredictability.  Riding accidents off road with horses are far from uncommon. But Horse riders know this and accept this.  We've lost a very old friend just this past week from an accident doing what she loved in Scotland. Awful but she knew every time she rode the risks and always rode with due diligence. Sometimes that is not enough.Yet you scoff at kerb drill and cycling proficiency. You seem to have little understanding of anything outside your own rather narrow stood fed mindset.Your inferences (maybe wrong but that's how they read) are that you do not have any respect for order rules and regulations or an understanding of why we have them in a civilised society. Advocating wilful recklessness and then passing the onus to others whilst using unsound facts is rather sad but indicative of where we are as a society.

Raymond Havelock ● 1252d

Hyprocitical Nigel. A grand master of rudeness, a King Bully to others, a self-opinionated dinosaur, who takes great exception when people are rude to him. A disability champion who makes fun of people if they happen to take medication. Incongruous. Dangerous. To be ignored.  Best treated with contempt.  I am not expecting a reply because Nigel had said that he wouldn't. I hope he doesn't, but I doubt that he keeps his word.

Ben Owen ● 1252d

That should, of course, have been 'stop' rather than 'keep'. This forum has been an oasis of calm while you have been absent Ben. Shame you stopped that trend by posting rubbish again.

N V Brooks ● 1252d

Take your medication, there's a good chap. Being offensive seems to be your watchword. I won't be responding again to your pathetic little rants unless you can change to keep espousing untruths and inaccuracies.

N V Brooks ● 1252d

Answer the question, Nigel, and enrolling onto a CALM course (Controlling Anger And Learning to Manage it) would be a great idea. Places are still available at Churches, Doctors, Counsellors to name but a few. Each has their own speciality, but all offer places for horrible people. You will fit in easily.

Ben Owen ● 1252d

I wasn't going to reply to your, obviously, medication deficient rantings Ben. However when you were espouse total crap like jumping a red light is the same as jaywalking it is difficult to ignore.

N V Brooks ● 1252d

Wonderfully generous of you, Nigel, to tolerate people willfully crossing your (?) roads on a whim, and how kind of you to slow down to allow them to get to the other side. All the more so that you're happy to do this when they don't pay a single penny of whats-that-thingy-a-twig called?Except car owners might not do - yet loads do - either because they choose to illegally evade that whatever-it's-called (can't remember if it's called up-to-date insurance, MOT or VED, or carries a full licence). Mind you, some think they are smart because they don't legally have to pay since their vehicle is electric. But never mind, whatever reason it is because they drive a car then they stay clear of you, and your brethren, losing your cool on a mild summer's day. And as for these pesky pedestrians..God don't get me started. Bloody walkers aren't registered, aren't made to wear helmets, don't have insurance, aren't licensed, never been forced to take a proficiency test, haven't got a clue what The Green Man code was/is yet they willfully get to cross (y)our roads. Sometimes a driver is so peeved off with this state of affairs that they will run them over rejoicing in how thoughtful they are that they have given them a bigger surface to be flattened on than a cyclist can offer. How wonderful. We had two people run over last week in South Ealing Road but I noticed how you didn't publicly castigate the driver because they got hit faster and harder than an average cyclist could. So all fair, right? Yet had it been a cyclist who knocked over a mum and her child you'd taken to these boards straight away! Never mind, as I am not surprised in the slightest.Still, at least it means we can recycle the old joke. Why did the chicken cross the road? Answer the question, Nigel, why did the chicken have the temerity to cross the road? And whilst thinking of an answer try and keep to the point and not be rude,

Ben Owen ● 1252d

More fantasy from Ben.There won’t be a massive upsurge in cycling, for dozens of reasons, not least if which is the new TfL funding deal will prevent the axing of most bus services due to be cut. Factor in winter weather and the distances most people have to travel and the cycling revolution just won’t happen.No doubt the percentage evidence will be produced, but most of us know by now that 100 percent increase of not many is....not many.What most Londoners would prefer is more investment in public transport and fewer days of industrial action. Not more cycle lanes.

Simon Hayes ● 1252d

You need it spelled out, clearly.Road regulations are there to protect all road users. Jumping a red light can, and does, cause accidents. As you and others constantly claim cyclists are in danger from motorised vehicles, so why risk colliding one by deliberately ignoring a stop signal.

Simon Hayes ● 1252d

Ben you said " I don't see any difference between a cyclist jumping a red light and a pedestrian jay walking, i.e not crossing at pedestrianised lights,formal zebra crossings or islands".  Therein lies the problem, The first is an offence, the second, as there is no 'offence' of jaywalking under statute in the UK, is not.If you cannot tell the difference, then you should not be riding.

N V Brooks ● 1252d

Been through most of this. Horse riders (very rare in Ealing) get a slow cautious wide berth.They don’t dictate & demand.Many cyclists are courteous & abide by road regulations, however very many don’t.As I said before with cars, drivers flouting the 1001 rules get punished.Cyclists do not, constantly cry, moan, dictate want more & more of the road & road space.Getting from A to B as I proved to your mate, is considerably easier AND quicker without ltns, which the general public showed their feelings for

Peter Yale ● 1252d

> Nobody disputes that bad drivers deserve to be prosecuted but to claim that cyclists failing to follow the rules of the road BY WHICH THEY ARE BOUND is nonsense. It’s as much for their own safety as anything else.I've read this 3 times and still don't get your point. What are you thinking but are not saying?Entire Thread

Ben Owen ● 1252d

>However as they (bicycles )have no identifying marks, that will never happenI've seen people on bikes stopped by police for jumping red lights.>Even though they want, demand more road space & contribute nothing.We've been through this, people on bikes pay council tax and income tax like everybody else, and some drivers don't pay VED. You simply don't or won't understand how highways and roads are funded.

Paul James ● 1252d

Why does a horse rider, or someone on a mobility scooter not meet your ire in the same way as a person riding a bike does?I am certain that you slow down when seeing a horse on the road and will also give the rider a wide berth when overtaking? Do you do so because you are showing courtesy and like being polite to horse riders, or is it because you are instructed to do so by The Highway Code? I reckon it will be a good mixture of all three. So why not treat someone who rides a bike in the same way?In the coming months, and I say this all seriousness, you can expect to see an upsurge in the number of people cycling, as bus routes are cut (such as the 272 in  Acton) or are run with vastly reduced frequencies. One huge impact of TfL's collapse is that it will force people, sometimes against their will, to take up cycling. The need and demand for better, safer, fit-for-purpose infrastructure is going to be greater than ever. This is why TfL will still be going ahead with their plans for more cycle lanes, upgrading existing ones, and making big improvements to crossings for pedestrians.Of course, a cheaper way, a much cheaper way, would be for all motorists to have a change of attitude towards people that cycle. If every motorist across the country recognises that more offences in a day are committed by motorists than those that cycle, and were prepared to commit to overtaking a cyclist with a minimum of a 1.5 metre berth then we will all get along like bubble and squeak. But how likely is that going to happen?Remember, more bikes equals less cars. Wouldn't the net result be that,  because of less congestion, any remaining cars travel from A to B quicker?

Ben Owen ● 1252d

Unlike Cyclists (and you can tell the difference between those who have done some form of proficiency and those who have not) All motor vehicle users including motor cycles, are trained, tested and motor vehicles fully identifiable.Paramount to learning to drive are observational skills, observing the road markings and regulations and courtesy at ALL times.Yes, you do get bad driving and the odd complete idiot.  But other motorists do not approve anymore of this than they do any other lack of due care.But your observational skills may be rather lacking.  Cyclists with devices on handlebars, or worse still in a hand is very common. Cyclists with ear buds very common.  Cyclists with cameras but no bell or lights or mud guards very common. I might add the the mud guards at to protect other cyclists as well as your own machine and clothing. Moped riders on everlasting provisional licences and thus L plates working for hire and reward who ride with one eye on a device .  (By the way you cannot use a car for hire or reward without specific insurance and a full driving licence)And are delivery Cyclists insured for hire or reward?  Who knows?But the road regulations are there for all. Including this new fad of jaywalking and road walking with no due care and the expectation that vehicles will stop.Thats bad for all diligent road users , cyclists, cars, vans, trucks and a nightmare for public transport drivers.It is not OK for Cyclists to jump lights or cut  up the inside at a junction, or ride across pavements or not stop at zebra crossings or ride the other side of the road.Like the cyclist in South Ealing who leads his two tiny and almost invisible toddlers out onto a main road with out stopping at and checking the way is clear.The one who rides with a baby and a toddler  rides up Little ealing Lane in the middle and veers across to the right never signalling and causing vehicles to take evasive action.I'm a cyclist and when I see this daily it makes my blood boil. It is frankly stupid and a mentality of utter arrogance but ultimately dangerous.Primarily because it is dangerous to themselves but more so to others.I'm sitting at Traffic lights and gat passed by others who don't bother stopping or veer on to the pavement or cut across all the time. This was very rare 5 years ago but I am now almost alone on two wheels observing the lights or crossings.That Danish report if you read it like many others is compiled by an activist funded group and based on Danish roads which are fast and have integrated cycling from scratch and not shoehorned in. They also have fixed urban bike speeds like many Dutch cities.  The translation is poor but the use of 'Could' 'May' and 'might' appear in the context.

Raymond Havelock ● 1252d

Ben, you need to calm down a bit. Maybe go for a long bike ride to letboff some of your anger.Figures from Denmark? One of the flagships of cycling. Not really relevant to the UK, is it? Surprised you haven’t roped in Rachel Aldred too.Nobody disputes that bad drivers deserve to be prosecuted but to claim that cyclists failing to follow the rules of the road BY WHICH THEY ARE BOUND is nonsense. It’s as much for their own safety as anything else.

Simon Hayes ● 1252d

Wow, that’s brilliant, absolutely superb.Not really in dispute. Would say the same as I say to your other conspirator.Cars are regulated by license plate, identifying numbers.Cyclists not, they will not get fixed penalty in post for parking, jumping red lights etc etc.You cyclists cry, dictate, scream, shout demanding road space, areas coned off, then pay, contribute & be equal(ish)

Peter Yale ● 1252d

Some cyclists do go through red lights and some cyclists do get fined and prosecuted for it. I remember seeing a guy get done when he went through a red at the Hanger Lane / Uxbridge Road junction. At the same time when there were loads of police around doing one of their random vehicle stops. What a silly man - he got his just desserts.But I think it's the envy of the driver that sees a harmless cyclist jumping the lights without EVER hurting a flea that leaves them more vexed than ever.  I don't see any difference between a cyclist jumping a red light and a pedestrian jay walking, i.e not crossing at pedestrianised lights,formal zebra crossings or islands. But there's never been a debate on this. Why not?This subject made me think! I will bet anyone that an average car driver commits more offences in a day than the average cyclist does.I then surfed the net and found a study had been done by the Danish Road Directorate to support my view. In it, they showed that less than 5% of cyclists break traffic laws while riding yet 66% of motorists do so when driving. It all boils down to visibility: law breaking by cyclists is all too easy to notice for everyone but transgressions by motorists, such as speeding, are far harder to spot.I can't EVER remember seeing a mangled bike on a railway line, and daily I see more drivers using their phones when driving than I see a cyclist using their phone whilst cycling.In the spirit of community, I won't be wanting to claim any points for pointing this out.

Ben Owen ● 1252d

Your eyes are covered with blinkers, rose tinted glasses to lovey dovey cyclists.You may have seen an odd scooter pulled over by plod.However as they (bicycles )have no identifying marks, that will never happen.There will never be a fixed penalty through the post.Even though they want, demand more road space & contribute nothing.Believe you have had this pointed out to you several times

Peter Yale ● 1253d

People on bikes and escooters are already prosecuted for red light jumping Peter, I've seen it happen myself with my own eyes.

Paul James ● 1253d

& if they want that, then they need to be prosecuted in the same way motorists are.Jumping red lights, wrong way down 1 way streets, driving on pavement etc etc

Peter Yale ● 1253d

>15mph for road traffic is too slow. 20mph is fine. I bet you don’t always stick to that in your car club vehicle though.Do you think electric bikes and escooters should cut out at 20mph instead of 15, or not cut out at all?This would allow users to keep up with the flow of traffic.

Paul James ● 1253d

I often walk down streets near Lammas park and there are Lime bikes blocking pavements often precariously almost daily. Sometimes one other times 3 or 4. Some are there for days. They are often left in darker areas or leaning against residents from walls.Unless you have the Lime App ( and even if you do ) these are near impossible to report - unless you have an hour to pfaff about.  Clearly quite deliberate. But why has a responsible authority - with a duty of care and safety to all not lifted a finger over this and the widening improper use of devices on public highways?Used properly and responsibly and with due care of the rider. Anyone who rides a bike knows that they have no protection and therefore ought to know that they are responsible for their own actions, just as jumping of the back of a bus risked a twisted ankle or a fall is.  Practice that and like driving a vehicle, should significantly reduce risk to oneself and others and from others.The point I raised is the very obvious misuse by clearly under 18s and the general misuse of a machine. And why is this not being policed?And yes. I think 15 MPH in single track residential roads is far more acceptable than fuel and time wasting LTNs which affect the least able, mobility limited and divide entwined communities.

Raymond Havelock ● 1256d

This is the dilemma people like Paul find themselves in. Condemn all those who don’t think as they do, but then behave just like those they condemn.The worst thing is, trying to make people think and behave in a particular way is the hallmark of repressive societies. I’m sure Paul and his chums aren’t really close communists!

Simon Hayes ● 1256d

I notice that one of the protesters arrested at The Dome garage Brentford, which incidentally was a focal point for donations and support during the pandemic, was a soap Dodger from Swansea. I presume he either cycled or walked all the way to Brentford to make his protest or is he just another hypocrite that uses a car car when it suits him? Even if he came up by train the engine stock on that line is diesel electric.

N V Brooks ● 1256d

All very tedious Paul.Cars are limited by speed limits and most drivers observe them. And there are plenty of cameras about to collect the cash from contraventions, however inadvertent.But new cars are being produced with speed limiters installed, as you probably know. The difference between a car driver and a rider of an ebike or escooter is that the former has passed a competence test and should know the rules. The latter two have no such requirement. Even a muppet like you must have passed a driving test, though your occasional ‘need’ to drive a car equates to the vegetarian who ‘has’ to have the occasional burger.15mph for road traffic is too slow. 20mph is fine. I bet you don’t always stick to that in your car club vehicle though.What’s funny though is how you’ve done your usual whataboutery here. The discussion is about lime bikes and the irresponsible way they are regulated, but you have to try and shift the narrative.I’m surprised you weren’t out with the Just Stop Oil idiots this morning.

Simon Hayes ● 1256d

You did well for a week or 2 sadiq james.Now back in your fantasy, hypocritical, cuckoo world.Argumentative got the sake of itGo through same stuff every time.Bikes / scooters,need proper control & registering same as motorised vehicles

Peter Yale ● 1256d

So you think cars shouldn't be speed limited in the same way as legal e-scooters because the occupants are more protected?Hmmm...

Paul James ● 1257d

Illegal and cannot be identified. As I said earlier fraudulent hire using stolen and cloned cards is rife. You need to understand the economic model of e-bikes where they have a design life of four months or less as the cost of the bike in bulk is fully recovered from hire fees inside six to eight weeks. This economic model is one of the reasons that Lime is valued in billions of dollars it is a virtual licence to print money.

N V Brooks ● 1257d

But I very much doubt anybody is doing it to the hire bikes. They would notice for a start as everything is recorded, and it's really not worth doing to a bike that you'd probably never get again.And yes, I have seen clearly illegal modified ebikes around, even ones with motors that actually do the propelling with no pedalling, but they are illegal.

Paul James ● 1257d

If lime use the same commercially available chassis as hire e-bikes in the USA and Germany (normally sourced in China) then yes as the 'hack'  applies to these chassis.

N V Brooks ● 1257d

On lime bikes?I'm very much aware this can be done on normal e-bikes, although it's illegal, and they only have a max 250watt motor, so it's not going to go much faster anyway.I'm pretty sure it's not an issue for the hire bikes, I've never seen one being ridden at a very high speed, I can top them out at 20mph for a short while and they don't look very modifiable! I can put out more than 250 watts myself.

Paul James ● 1257d

They have a speed limiter based on a magnet and reed switch arrangement where, when the number of 'impulses' reaches a set level all electrical assistance is turned off  Simply reversing the magnet/ shielding the reed switch / bypassing the switch altogether removes the restriction. Plenty of links detailing the process which can be completed in a few minutes with basic tools

N V Brooks ● 1257d

No. Simple answer. Don't follow up with "why not".ALL vehicles should follow and adhere to posted limits and while it may have escaped your notice, we no longer have a little man with a red flag in front of each car. Sad for those who lobby for bike or nothing. Never going to happen

N V Brooks ● 1257d

Safety tests are performed on cars to ensure occupants are safe at speeds greater than 15mph, at least 50kph (about 35mph). Motor cyclists are required to wear helmet providing greater protection than those worn by cyclists. Given e scooters are less stable than car and motorbikes, and thus more likely to injure the user, safety requirements (such as speed limits) should be higher.

Vlod Barchuk ● 1257d

Nice bit of virtue signalling and, of course, another little tilt at your favourite fantasy.  Of course, cars parked obstructing other road users can be identified by their obligatory number plate and penalised accordingly

N V Brooks ● 1257d

>But they are not, that's the point. I used one the other day and left it at the designated parking spot, I always do.Until recently you didn't have to do this with lime bikes in Ealing but I always left my lime bike in a suitable place that didn't obstruct, I always did. I've move more that one scooter or bike that was obstructing, I wish I could do the same with cars!

Paul James ● 1257d

>Of course ALL road user should comply with the posted limits that they don't and the lack of enforcement is a matter of concern.It's a simple question.Do you think cars should be speed limited 15mph in towns and cities like e-scooters?

Paul James ● 1257d

Despite being a fantatsist hypocrite you deserve a response. Please don't judge others by your own, exceptionally low, standards. Of course, the silly little emoticons simply underpin the lack of intellectual bandwidth. Some are willing to engage in reasoned debate and any associated insults aimed at idiots are richly deserved. Of course ALL road user should comply with the posted limits that they don't and the lack of enforcement is a matter of concern.

N V Brooks ● 1257d

But they are not, that's the point. If they are rented with cloned or stolen cards then one would hope that the geo fencing would work but it doesn't.Open your eyes Paul. You simply cannot resist having a 'pop' at cars can you? Im would rather that the tens, and it is tens every day, of cyclists bltantly ignoring the temporary lights on Boston Road had the book thrown at them to be honest but in the eyes of the blinkered cyclists can do no wrong.  I have seen two cars and a bus pass on red in the same time and registrations have been passed on.

N V Brooks ● 1257d

(and if not, why not... although I'm not expecting any form of answer! :D)

Paul James ● 1257d

I don't think the bikes have a speed limiter, but they are obviously limited by how fast the rider can pedal and how much assistance you get off the motor (which only kicks in when pedalling and isn't adding anything more from about 15mph).I can get them up to about 20mph by pedalling hard, but the assistance isn't there at that speed at all, physical limitation of the drive train I suspect.Now, I guess Simon, Peter and yourself are all for limiting speed for e-bikes and e-scooters, 15mph I guess? How about cars?

Paul James ● 1257d

All rental e-bikes and e scooters in Ealing, including Lime, have to be left at a "station" marked on the map and users are charged extra for not doing so.Sure some won't be, but I'd rather illegal car parking was tackled first frankly!

Paul James ● 1257d

If you Google it there are many reports of hires being made with 'borrowed' or stolen cards and even more of the geo fencing simply not working.

N V Brooks ● 1259d

How are 14 year olds hiring them when the regulations say it has to be 18 and over?What happens if they are involved in an accident or cause one?

Raymond Havelock ● 1259d

It is apparently a two minute job, rotating one component with standard tools, to completely disable the speed limiter. This is obviouly something that those hurtling up Boston Road have mastered.

N V Brooks ● 1260d

The usual uncontrolled mayhem with lots of shirking and none of the authorities taking responsibility.

Rosco White ● 1260d

As far as I am aware all the scooters and e-bikes available for hire are speed-limited to 15mph.

Mark Evans ● 1260d

It's not just Lime Bikes, it's Dott as well. They are scattered around Pitshanger Park when I went for a walk yesterday.

Peter Tolhurst ● 1260d