Decision Maker:

Outcome: Recommendations Approved

Is Key Decision?: No

Is Callable In?: No

Date of Decision: March 26, 2025

Purpose:

Content: This council supports cycling and sees dockless cycle hire as a positive and fundamental step forward in increasing cycling and cutting air pollution. As a borough which has not been included in the TfL cycle hire scheme, dockless cycle hire is a welcome and carbon friendly alternative mode of transport for our residents. We know dockless cycles, if regulated appropriately and well-managed, can be an environmentally friendly form of transport and popularly used.  They can positively contribute towards the council’s aims to promote cycling as described in our Transport Strategy and reduce air pollution.   We appreciate the work the council is doing with Transport for London, London Councils and with dockless cycle companies to regulate their use, which is in the interests of everyone. We were encouraged by the proposal to implement a phased scheme to trial mandatory dockless cycle parking bays across the borough.   However, we were dismayed to learn in August that the most prominent dockless cycle hire company, already present in the borough, now appears to be unwilling to support mandatory parking bays. If we are to ensure the shift towards sustainable travel, we need to make sure that dockless cycle operators listen and take action against users that park obstructively on footpaths and engage in anti-social behaviour – an issue that is of particular concern for those residents with mobility issues and visual impairments.   Dockless cycle hire companies must take responsibility for both their cycles and their riders – the status quo isn’t good enough. The Council receives multiple and regular complaints about the location and position in which dockless cycles are. From cycles being parked across pavements or footpaths, being left in the middle of pedestrian crossings, to being discarded outside entrances to shops and homes. Pedestrians and other road users have been inconvenienced and injured by carelessly parked dockless cycles. Dockless cycle operators must work with the council to ensure that any anti-social behaviour by their riders is tackled and that rules are adhered to. We welcome the fact the government has announced legislation through the Devolutions Bill that will end the Wild West model for dockless cycle regulation and give local authorities the enforcement powers they need to tackle irresponsible behaviour and rogue operators.   ·        We call upon the Council to work with dockless cycle operators to create dedicated parking bays throughout the borough. ·        We call upon dockless cycle companies to substantially increase fines for antisocial use to a level which acts as an effective deterrent. ·        We call upon dockless cycle operators to provide the council with full access to relevant data, including operational activities and fleet numbers in the borough. ·        We call upon dockless cycle companies to implement a user-friendly way for residents to report issues and to react to them quickly, with a service-level agreement. ·        We call upon the Council to consider banning dockless cycle hire companies from the borough who have not signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Council to enforce the use of mandatory parking bays by Summer 2025. ·        We call upon the Council to work with the government to ensure that the council has the enforcement regulatory powers that it needs to effectively regulate local dockless cycle hire. ·        Dockless cycles of benefit both to residents and visitors to Greenwich as well as help the borough meet its climate obligations, but they must be regulated in an agreed way.