Chief Officer Decisions

Is it significant in terms of its effect on communities living or working in an area comprising two or more wards.

If yes, Identify the Forward Plan Reference Number. 

If yes, confirm that notice of the decision has been on the Forward Plan for at least 28 days in advance of the Decision Date.

If yes, identify the date that the decision is to be placed in the public domain.

If yes, identify the date that the decision will be implemented if not called in.

Details of decision

(To be recorded as soon as practicable and be available for inspection along with all background papers that have been used to inform the decision unless exempt from publication. If exempt include details of the exemption relied on here.  Decision to be retained indefinitely in accordance with Records Management Policy)

That the Chief Officer approves the implementation of Phase 3 of the Dockless e-bike rental trial, via Experimental Traffic Management Order (ETMO), with the locations detailed in the Appendices to this report. 

Reasons for the Decision

Within the last few years, dockless e-bike rental schemes, have been successfully introduced across significant parts of London. These have either been instigated through formalised arrangements between boroughs and operators, or sometimes without borough consent, given the limited legislative powers that currently exist for dockless bikes. Until May 2023, the Council did not have an agreement or Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in place with any dockless bike operator. The previous agreement with Mobike to operate a ‘free floating’ cycle hire scheme was terminated in 2020, with Lime operating an unauthorised scheme in parts of the borough.  

Having formal arrangements in place with dockless bike hire companies can enable boroughs a stronger role in shaping how the scheme operates and reduce the risk of issues arising. It enables the borough to agree areas of the footway/kerbside that are designated for this purpose, which minimises the risk of inconsiderate/inappropriate parking. This works alongside the issuing of user fines/bans by operators in order to encourage considerate behaviour.  

Cabinet approval was obtained on 18 April 2023 for a formal dockless e-bike hire scheme to be introduced across the borough in three phases, leading to a network of up to 300 dedicated e-bike bays across the borough. The borough has been divided into three Areas (see Table below), which are being implemented in three associated phases. However, the later phases may also include some additional bays in earlier areas that were implemented. Cabinet delegated authority to the Assistant Director Traffic, Transport & Parking to agree specific locations for the rental bays.  

The Council has signed an MoU with Lime bikes, who already have built up a customer base in the borough through their informal operations to date, primarily in the east of the borough. Phase 1 of the scheme was launched on 5th June 2023 across Brentford and Chiswick (Area 1) and then Phase 2 followed on 10th July 2023 across Hounslow, Isleworth and Osterley & Spring Grove (mostly Area 2, with some additional bays in Area 1). To date the scheme has seen over 10,000 e-bike trips per week starting in the borough. This Chief Officer Decision report therefore seeks approval to deliver Phase 3 of the scheme, which will expand the scheme across the remainder of the borough (Area 3, as well as adding some additional bays in Areas 1 and 2). Following borough-wide implementation of the e-bike rental bays, the scheme will be trialled for 6 months, with a possible 6-month extension.  

All vehicles across the borough will need to be hired and returned from dedicated on-street bays, with fines and eventual bans for those users who do not comply. The latest data at the time of writing this report is showing 88% of legitimate trip ends are parked compliantly, with improvements being seen on a weekly basis, with a target of at least 90% compliance. Each week, over 1,000 fines have been issued by Lime to any user parking outside of the bay, although the numbers have been decreasing as improvements in parking compliance are seen. 

Vehicle speeds are automatically limited to 15mph. Vehicles will be manually redistributed by the operators as required, with user incentives also applied to encourage natural redistribution. A number of ‘no-go’ and ‘go slow’ areas will be defined where the e-bike GPS systems will seek to limit movements and speeds by cutting the electric assist function as necessary. 

 Hacking of the vehicles is currently an issue, which the operator is in the process of addressing over the summer months through the retrofitting of the bikes with a tested hardware fix. Once this has been rolled out, parking compliance is expected to improve further. Also, as more boroughs chose to implement mandatory parking bays, this consistency of approach will also enhance parking compliance levels. 

This report details the proposed locations for the third phase of the scheme and seeks approval to implement these bays. These are mostly within Area 3 covering: Bedfont, Cranford, Feltham, Hanworth, and Heston wards. However, there are four locations proposed for Area 1 (Brentford West and Chiswick Homefields) and three locations proposed for Area 2 (Isleworth and Osterley & Spring Grove) which will either supplement or replace those already delivered, in response to Ward Member and public feedback received. The additional Area 1 locations are to address gaps in network where there is insufficient provision to meet demand and the Area 2 locations are revised locations to address urgent issues with the locations originally put forward, that could not await completion of the trial. 

Proposed bay locations  

The majority of bays will host between nine and twelve e-bikes, with larger stations in areas of anticipated high demand. Bays will be located either on the footway where there is sufficient space and pedestrian clearance, or in parking bays. A bay with capacity for nine e-bikes will be approximately 7m long, which equates to approximately 1.5 car parking spaces. All bays will be fully demarcated on the surface of the highway as ‘CYCLE HIRE ONLY’.  

Bays have been planned at two levels of density (ie spacing between the bays) across the borough, depending on the level of anticipated demand in an area. Data and feedback from TfL, London Councils, operators, and neighbouring boroughs has been used to inform this spatial analysis. In areas of high anticipated demand, the bays will be spaced approximately every 250-300m and in areas of lower demand, the spacing will be approximately every 500m. Locations have been planned in alignment with this strategy, as set out in the Cabinet report, but some adjustments have been required to take account of nearby trip attractors, as well as site constraints. Desktop and site checks have been carried out by Senior Parking Engineers to determine site suitability.  

Footway locations will not be located within main pedestrian desire lines and will therefore tend to be at the back of the footway or in alignment with any adjacent street furniture. Sufficient footway clearances will be maintained in accordance with TfL Pedestrian Comfort Guidance which takes into account the volume of pedestrians using the street and other contextual information such as pedestrian ‘desire lines’. The government guidance document, Manual for Streets, also advises that the minimum unobstructed width for pedestrians should generally be two metres which has been taken into account throughout the site selection process. Exceptions to this may take place, for example where permitted footway parking bays already exist for motor vehicles. Footway bays will also be located within reasonable distance of a dropped kerb to facilitate access to the carriageway.  

Carriageway bays will ensure that any remaining length of parking bay is usable and not be within 5m of a junction or pedestrian crossing. All locations will, where possible, be well lit with good natural surveillance, have space for servicing vehicles nearby and avoid locations under trees.  

A total of 109 locations have been identified across Phase 3, as summarised below and set out in the Appendices to this report. 

The bays will be implemented initially via Experimental Traffic Management Orders (ETMOs), with comments then invited on the scheme and bay locations for the duration of the trial. During the trial period, the Council also plans to consult upon its Kerbside Strategy, which includes a chapter on e-bikes. The Kerbside Strategy consultation is planned to run for 12 weeks in summer/autumn 2023. This will allow residents to see how the scheme works in practice, try it out, and reach a fully informed view on the scheme before responding to the consultation.  

Implementation of Phase 3 of the scheme (including bay markings and any necessary adjustments to signage) is scheduled to commence in early/mid August 2023, with operation of the e-bikes anticipated to commence in late August to early September 2023.  

The April 2023 Cabinet report sets out how the fees due from operators will be used to fund the anticipated costs arising from implementation of the scheme.  

However, as more detailed site selection work is completed, this has enabled some refinement of cost estimates. The cost of implementing the bays within Phase 3 is estimated to be £24,000. This will be funded from the Council’s approved E-bike trial budget.  

It should be noted that five of the bays within Phase 3 are proposed in existing Pay by Phone (PbP) or shared use (between PbP/permit holders) parking bays. This may result in some loss of parking income from the bays, which is anticipated to be under £900 per annum, based on available data from the last 6 months. This figure is only an estimate as the extent to which this displaced parking demand may be accommodated within other bays in the vicinity is unknown. Levels of parking revenue will be monitored during the trial, however, it should be recognised that a variety of factors will have an influence on demand for parking beyond the introduction of the e-bike scheme. 

During the site selection process a range of sites were considered, some of which were discounted as not fulfilling the criteria specified above for one or more of the following reasons: 

• The location did not fully utilise the existing space and would likely result in a loss of parking space beyond what was required 
• The perceived safety of the location was not deemed sufficient because of limited sightlines/visibility for other highway users approaching the location 
• The location was not deemed suitable due to the limited visibility or poor lighting of the site which could deter usage due to safety concerns 
• The location was not deemed suitable due to other proposed changes to the highway network. 

Factors taken into account

(i.e. include here consideration of:

• public sector equality duty, 
• biodiversity duty and 
• crime and disorder implications of decision
• Climate emergency considerations

A full EQIA on the Hounslow scheme will be carried out as part of the Kerbside Strategy. The council does not anticipate any major negative equalities impacts arising from the scheme. The scheme is intended to bring additional mobility options to residents, offering a more affordable alternative to ownership. The provision of dedicated bays should help to minimise the risk of bikes being parked dangerously or inconsiderately on footways, which currently represents a particular danger or hindrance to wheelchair/pram/pushchair users and to blind or partially sighted users. 

Name and title of any Cabinet member consulted

Consulted on scheme principles: 

Deputy Leader of the Council and Portfolio holder for Climate, Environment and Transport, Portfolio holder for Recreation, Public Spaces and Parking 

Member conflict of interest or Disclosable Pecuniary Interest?

If yes, give details (this includes non-DPI’s interests that you consider should be declared and noted for the record but are not considered to have impaired your judgement or present any related conflict).

Cllr Katherine Dunne is a member of the London Cycling Campaign. 

Comments on behalf of the Chief Financial Officer

This report seeks approval for the implementation of the Dockless e-bike rental trial via Experimental Traffic Management Order (ETMO) and agrees the specific rental bay locations for phase 2 of the trial as detailed in the Appendix to this report. The report also seeks approval for a supplementary location for Area 1 to replace a site that was previously proposed in the Brentford and Syon Lock ward.

The expected cost of marking out the rental bays as outlined in the report can be met from within the approved budget for the e bike scheme trial. 

Finance Officer Name and Title 

Christine Holland, Head of Strategic Finance

Comments on behalf of the Director of Law & Governance, and Monitoring Officer

This Report seeks approval for the implementation the Dockless e-bike rental trial via Experimental Traffic Management Order (ETMO), and agree specific rental bay locations as detailed in the Appendices to this report.  It also approves a supplementary location for Area 1 to replace a site that was previously proposed.

In April 2023, Cabinet approved the introduction of a boroughwide dockless e bike rental scheme on a trial basis for 6 months from completion of the boroughwide rollout and delegated authority to the Assistant Director of Traffic, Transport & Parking to agree specific bay locations for the first three phases of the scheme and take the necessary steps to implement the scheme on a trial basis via Experimental Traffic Management Order (ETMO). 

Confirmation by Legal Officer that the Decision is/is not a key decision

This is not a Key Decision (Cabinet decision of 18 April 2023 was Key)

Legal Officer Name and Title 

Rachel McKoy (NZ), Director of Law & Governance, and Monitoring Officer. 

Confirmation that no significant changes to the report have been made since Legal and Finance Comments were provided

Date decision to take effect for implementation