Chief Officer Decisions

Title of decision

Dockless e-bike rental trial: Phase 4

Directorate

Environment, Culture and Customer Services

Name and title of Chief Officer

Jefferson Nwokeoma, Assistant Director Traffic, Transport & Parking

Date

18th October 2023

Exempt Information and Grounds

No

If Yes, Identify Which Access to Information Exemption Clause (see Part 4E Access to Information Procedure Rules (section 11.4)

Key decision?

No

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 4 of the Dockless e-bike rental trial, via Experimental Traffic Management Order (ETMO), as detailed in this report.

Reasons for the Decision

Background

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. This in turn helps to minimise the risk of inconsiderate/inappropriate parking, when reinforced by operators issuing user fines/bans accordingly. 

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, with up to 300 dedicated e-bike bays overall. The borough has been divided into three Areas (see Table below), which have been implemented in three associated phases. Cabinet delegated authority to the Assistant Director Traffic, Transport & Parking to agree specific locations for the rental bays. 

Area Wards Phase

1 Chiswick and Brentford wards Mostly 1, but some in 2 and 3

2 Hounslow wards, Isleworth, Osterley & Spring Grove Mostly 2, but some in 3.

3 Remainder of borough 3

The Council has signed an MoU with Lime bikes. Phase 1 of the scheme was launched on 5th June 2023, then Phase 2 followed on 10th July 2023, followed by Phase 3 on 18th September, with the trial then commencing for at least 6 months. 

To date, usage of the scheme has been gradually increasing, with over 50,000 trips starting in the borough throughout September. All vehicles across the borough need to be hired and returned from dedicated on-street bays, with fines and eventual bans for those users who do not comply. At the time of writing the report, parking compliance stands at 93%. Hacking of the vehicles has been an issue over the summer but is very close to being resolved. This will see a further reduction in bikes being abandoned outside of the bays. 

Proposed bay locations

Although the majority of the e-bike bay implementation is complete, four amended locations are needed to take account of feedback, that could not await the conclusion of the trial. This implementation will be known as ‘Phase 4’. 

Bay locations are in keeping with the original principles of the scheme, which had 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.

All bays will be fully demarcated on the surface of the highway as ‘CYCLE HIRE ONLY’. 

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. 

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.

The following four additional locations have been identified as summarised below and set out in the Appendices to this report.

Location Area Ward Appendix

Chiswick High Road, Chiswick 1 Chiswick Homefields 1

Bath Road, Hounslow 2 Hounslow West 1

Elizabeth Way, Feltham 3 Hanworth Park 1

Roebuck Close, Hanworth 3 Hanworth Park 1

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. The Council is also consulting upon its draft Kerbside Strategy until 10th December 2023, which includes a chapter on e-bikes. 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 4 of the scheme (including bay markings and any necessary adjustments to signage) is scheduled to commence in mid October 2023, with operation of the e-bikes anticipated to commence shortly afterwards. 

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. 

The cost of implementing the bays within Phase 4 is estimated to be approximately £1,000. This will be funded from the Council’s approved E-bike trial budget. All bays are within areas of uncontrolled parking so there is no loss of parking income associated with this phase of the scheme.

Details of alternatives considered and rejected

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 has been carried out as part of the draft Kerbside Strategy, which includes e-bikes. On balance, the council expects the scheme to have a positive impact. 

The scheme is intended to bring an additional more accessible mobility option to residents, including those with protected characteristics, offering a more affordable alternative to ownership.

The primary concern is regarding bikes being abandoned outside of the bays and being parked obstructively, which has a particular impact on wheelchair/pram/pushchair users and to blind or partially sighted users. However, the provision of dedicated bays should help to minimise the risk of bikes being parked dangerously or inconsiderately on footways, compared to the free-floating scheme that previously operated in the borough. We have seen improvements in parking compliance as users adjust to the new scheme rules, and further improvements are anticipated as Lime addresses the hacking issue. 

Name and title of any Cabinet member consulted

Councillor Katherine Dunne, Deputy Leader of the Council and Portfolio holder for Climate, Environment and Transport.

Consulted on proposed locations:

Ward Members for Chiswick Homefields, Hounslow West and Hanworth Park.

Member conflict of interest or Disclosable Pecuniary Interest?

Yes

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

Comments on behalf of Director of HR 

[Please provide comments]

 HR Officer

 Name and Title 

Comments on behalf of the Chief Financial Officer

This report seeks approval for the implementation of Phase 4 of the Dockless e-bike rental trial via Experimental Traffic Management Order (ETMO) and the specific rental bay locations for phase 4 of the trial as detailed in the Appendices to this report. 

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. No direct impact on parking revenue is anticipated as a result of the implementation of these bays as these locations are not used as chargeable parking bays..

The costs and income generated via the trial should be tracked to inform decision making on the future options for e-bike schemes in the Borough.

Finance Officer Name and Title 

Christine Holland, Head of Strategic Finance

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

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 (the Cabinet decision of 18 April 2023 represents a Key decision with the appropriate implementation being delegated to officers)

Legal Officer Name and Title 

Rachel McKoy (NZ/NJ), 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

Yes

Date decision to take effect for implementation

19/10/2023

Bath Road, Hounslow - adjacent to Phoenix House

Section of unrestricted footway on southern side of Bath Road, adjacent to Phoenix House and the Heart of Hounslow Health Centre

9.6 metres (of footway)

Chiswick High Road, Chiswick - adjacent to Nos. 133-135 Chiswick High Road

Section of unrestricted carriageway on the south side of Chiswick High Road, east of the junction with Brackley Road

8 metres (of footway)

Elizabeth Way, Feltham - north of the junction with Queens Way

Section of unrestricted carriageway on the eastern side of Elizabeth Way, north of the junction with Queens Way

6 metres (of unrestricted carriageway)

Roebuck Close Feltham - west of the junction with Beagle Close

Section of unrestricted carriageway on the south side of Roebuck Close, west of the junction with Beagle Close

6 metres (of unrestricted carriageway)