Milestone 2,500 obstructive e-bikes removed from streets

More than 2,500 abandoned and obstructive rental e-bikes have been removed from Kensington and Chelsea’s streets in the past 17 months, as part of an enforcement operation to keep pavements and roads safe and accessible.

So far in 2026 alone, Council officers have seized more than 1,200 e-bikes that were causing immediate danger or significant obstruction, adding to the 1,315 bikes removed during 2025.

The total fees charged to rental firms to date has reached over £210,000, with the Council successfully receiving over £179,000 in payments from operators including Lime, Human Forest, Bolt and Voi. All income generated from the fines is reinvested into the service to support ongoing enforcement activity.

Since the start of the enforcement action in January 2025, the Council’s enforcement team has seized:

• Lime: 1,624 e-bikes (incurring £143,890.70 in fees)
• Human Forest: 787 e-bikes (incurring £58,017.35 in fees)
• Voi: 61 e-bikes (incurring £4,560.30 in fees)
• Bolt: 44 e-bikes (incurring £3,630.35 in fees)

Cllr Johnny Thalassites, lead member for resident services, planning and enforcement, said:

“Rental e-bikes have an important role to play in helping Londoners get around, but that cannot come at the expense of safe, accessible streets.

"Our officers have done a fantastic job in removing 2,500 e-bikes, and it sends a very clear message – park in a bay, or we’ll take it away. If bikes are dumped across pavements, blocking crossings or creating a danger for residents and road users, we will take action.

We also need operators to do their bit by clearing obstructions quickly, covering the cost when we have to intervene, and doing more to encourage considerate rider behaviour.”

Kensington and Chelsea was one of the first boroughs to introduce designated parking bays to tackle abandoned bikes, launching its first 128 bays in 2023. The borough now hosts 245 rental e-bike parking spaces, made up of 185 marked bays and 60 virtual bays found via provider apps.

When can the street enforcement team remove rental e-bikes?

Rental e-bikes are removed where they meet certain stipulations set out below, which align with section 149(2) of the Highways Act:

• Bikes are lying across the highway, obstructing safe passage.
• Bikes are positioned on the pavement in a way that forces pedestrians to step into the road to pass.
• Bikes are likely to fall over, posing a risk of injury to pedestrians. 
• Bikes are situated in the road in a manner that endangers drivers or pedestrians.

If bikes do not meet the criteria above, but are parked outside a bay, they are reported to operators who have two hours to remove the bikes. This is in line with a Memorandum of Understanding signed by operators and the Council.

To report an e-bike in a dangerous position, use our online form.