Wandsworth Cracks Down on Carelessly Parked Hire E-Bikes With New Fair Use Charter

Wandsworth Council has drawn a line in the pavement. Its new Fair Use Charter for hire e-bikes and e-scooters hands the borough sharper enforcement tools against badly parked machines, and it comes with a direct request to residents: report the bikes that get in the way.

A dedicated operational team is already out on the streets, watching known trouble spots and clearing bikes left in awkward places. The message to operators is blunt — manage your fleets properly, or pay.

Why the borough is acting now

Hire e-bikes have become genuinely popular here. Riders made eight million journeys across Wandsworth in 2025, and the council expects that figure to pass 10 million before this year is out.

That growth has a flip side. Residents have been contacting the council about bikes dumped across pavements, creating real obstacles for wheelchair users, parents with buggies and people with reduced mobility.

“E-bikes provide a convenient and flexible travel option for many people and are obviously here to stay, but residents are rightly frustrated with bikes blocking our pavements and roads.” — Cllr Nick Austin, Cabinet Member for Transport

Austin framed the Charter as a way of standing up for residents who simply want safe public spaces, while giving the council stronger powers to act and to make operators foot the bill.

What operators must now deliver

• Two-hour removal: dangerous or obstructive bikes have to be cleared within two hours of a report.
• Clear app zones: no-parking, no-go and go-slow areas must be obvious inside the operator’s app.
• Rider compliance: companies are expected to stop customers leaving bikes in banned spots.
• Faster tidying: clutter in busy locations needs to be shifted quickly.

If an operator drags its feet, the council can remove and impound the bike itself — and charge the company for the trouble. Operators are also on the hook for monitoring and curbing illegal or dangerous riding on their hired machines.

Reporting and monthly transparency

Residents who spot a bike blocking a pavement can flag it through the operator’s own app or website, or send details straight to the council at wandsworth.gov.uk/report-ebikes.

Transparency is part of the deal, too. Operators will have to publish monthly figures on usage, complaints, penalties and fines, which should make it easier for locals to see whether promises are being kept.

The council says it will keep the Charter under review, amend it where needed and renew or adjust its legal agreements with operators. On the infrastructure side, more e-bike parking bays are planned, and some existing bays in busy areas will be enlarged so that parked bikes actually sit inside the marked space.

It is a familiar balancing act for city halls: keep the convenience of shared bikes, lose the chaos they can leave behind. Wandsworth is betting that tighter deadlines and real financial consequences will do the job.