Electric bikes that riders can hire and park at their convenience are an increasingly common sight on UK roads – with an estimated 30,000 Lime bikes available in London alone.
But their growing prevalence brings growing challenges for people with mobility issues.
For non-disabled people, encountering a pavement blocked by dockless e-bikes can be annoying and unsightly. For blind people and wheelchair users, it can be much more serious.
Blind content creator Lucy Edwards has posted about the stress of navigating poorly parked e-bikes with her guide dog, Miss Molly.
There are so many “littered on roads”, she says, that at times she is unable to get by without help. The experience has left her feeling scared and upset.
“I don’t know where I am, obviously,” she says. “If I don’t have someone with me, I don’t know how to get past.”
E-bike users are not always required to park inside designated bays. In some areas in the UK, e-bike companies such as Lime and Voi use a “free-float method”, which means riders can park anywhere – provided the bikes are not obstructing pavements.
However, some critics argue that users are abusing these guidelines and abandoning vehicles in precarious places.
Lucy posted an Instagram video to her more than 200,000 followers, showing in real-time how her guide dog pauses upon encountering e-bikes in her path.
Critics say poorly parked e-bikes make life difficult for disabled people
The video shows her guide dog stopping and leading her back to the curb.
“This is so bad guys,” Lucy says in the clip. “She’s taking me to the curb again. That is so bad, look at all the bikes.”
Many commenters shared their frustrations, with one writing: “An absolute disgrace and a nightmare for wheelchair users,…
