Dockless electric bikes launched in Waverley

12 November 2018

Waverley Mayor, John Wakefield, speaks about the roll-out of Lime Bikes in Waverley

You will have noticed last week that a large number of dockless electric Lime Bikes were deployed in parts of Waverley.

I would like to stress that this roll-out is a commercial project by Lime Bikes and not a project or activity of Council in anyway.

The business model for the dockless bike industry does not, unfortunately, require Council approval under current NSW law.

Council does, however, have the authority to impound dockless bikes and issues fines, and we will have no hesitation in doing so if this latest roll-out impacts negatively on local amenity or creates safety or public nuisance concerns.

Council will not tolerate poor behaviour from operators and or irresponsible users. That includes any members of the public who vandalise bikes. Police and our Rangers are on alert and will report any incidents which compromise public safety or local amenity.

Waverley Council supports increased choice and convenience for commuters to move around the LGA and we will keep an open mind about innovative business approaches which can improve mobility where Council has control over the process and can ensure that local amenity is not compromised.

In conjunction with Transport for NSW and a number of other project partners, Council is considering pilot projects which allows Council’s to issue permits or licences to operators to test innovative mobility solutions. In the meantime, however, Council officers will do what they can to ensure Lime Bikes and all future bike share companies operating in Waverley adhere to the Inner Sydney Bike Share Guidelines and the protocols developed last summer.

These guidelines include that bike share operators must monitor the location of bikes at least daily, not allow bikes to obstruct footpaths, etc, redistribute bikes according to demand to avoid excessive build-up in an area, liaise with councils regarding bike deployment and remove or repair damaged bikes within a set timeframe, among other conditions.

The Electric Lime bikes require a battery swap every 24-48 hours by Lime Bike staff, who will move bikes to other spots in the LGA if necessary.

We encourage anyone with questions or comments about Lime Bikes to contact the Lime Bikes customer support line on 1800 861 305 or email support@li.me.

The last thing Waverley Council and the residents of Waverley want is for a repeat of the problems we had last summer when bikes were littered and abandoned throughout our LGA on public roads, beaches, parks and residential streets.

For more about the Sydney Bike Share guidelines, visit https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/295759/Inner-Sydney-Bike-Share-Guidelines-22-Dec-2017-1.pdf