Micromobility Legislation

Elly Baker AM moved, and Hina Bokhari AM seconded the following motion:

“The Assembly notes that rented dockless e-bikes are an increasingly popular mode of transport in London and currently operate across 22 boroughs, with an estimated 40,000 e-bikes in operation.

Neither Transport for London nor London boroughs have the legal powers to manage these services. Instead, boroughs must rely on the goodwill of operators to adhere to the terms of agreements. In several boroughs, e-bikes are operated and deployed without the local authority’s consent.

Issues with abandoned and poorly parked e-bikes have proliferated since their introduction, including blocked pavements and excessive street clutter, particularly in areas of high usage. This is creating a range of difficulties for all Londoners, particularly for people with visual or mobility impairments, and those pushing children in buggies.

The Assembly calls on:

• The Mayor and Chair of the Assembly to write to the Secretary of State for Transport, to call on the Government to legislate, through the English Devolution Bill, to grant strategic transport authorities, like TfL, powers to regulate micromobility markets and develop micromobility schemes for their areas in partnership with local authorities.
• The Mayor to update the Assembly on his work with London Councils to explore the use of a single pan-London contract to manage e-bikes and e-scooters with the objectives of regulating fleet size, improving parking service quality, and increasing data sharing.
• The Mayor and Chair of the Assembly to write to the two main dockless e-bike providers, demanding that they better engage with TfL and London Councils to address the issues being caused by dockless e-bikes.”

Following debate and upon being put to the vote, the motion was agreed unanimously.