The council leader, who wrote to operators a month ago stating they would remove and charge them for inappropriately placed e-bikes, says they have not removed any to date.
Last month, Cllr Kieron Williams wrote to e-bike providers claiming they would remove e-bikes that block roads and pavements and charge the operators.
Asked in a cabinet meeting on Monday, July 10, by former Conservative candidate for Dulwich Village Ward, Clive Rates, how many e-bikes they had removed to date (since June 13), the Southwark Council leader said they ‘haven’t.’
“So to date,” Cllr Kieron Williams said, “we haven’t been removing them because we’ve been reporting them and they have been removed themselves within two hours.”
This followed residents’ concerns that the bikes were causing a hazard after being ‘hacked’ and ‘dumped.’
Cllr Williams explained that in the letter he urged for action from providers – and said the council would only act if no action was taken.
“But if any provider isn’t removing them within two hours then we will remove them and we will charge them.”
In the meeting, Cllr Williams added that this was not something officers should be doing.
“I don’t want to be removing bikes I think it is an unnecessary action for us,” he said, “the contracted officers have a lot of better things to be doing with their time.
“Ultimately I would like to see us get to a London-wide contract where you can only park in the designated bays when those bays are available.”
