Ealing has issued no e-bike fines since its policy began in February. On 13 October councillors vote on powers to remove dangerous bikes and bill operators.

Ealing Council has not issued a single fine over badly parked hire e-bikes since its enforcement policy began in February. Councillors will be asked on Tuesday 13 October to give officers a stronger power: to pick up a dangerous bike straight away and charge the operator for it.

The admission is in the officers’ report to Full Council. “To date, no FPNs have been issued,” it says, referring to fixed penalty notices. It gives three reasons:

  • the policy gives operators a “reasonable timeframe” to move a bike before any fine
  • officers started with “collaborative working rather than punitive action”
  • limited staff, and work still under way to find the worst hotspots

The report says that approach worked “for several months”. More recently, it says, there has been “a significant rise in resident complaints” about bikes left on footways.

What the council wants to do

The report asks Full Council to let the Assistant Director for Environment and Community Protection use section 149 of the Highways Act 1980. In practice that means:

  • removing a bike at once where it is a danger to people using the road or pavement
  • serving notice on the operator where a bike is a nuisance but not a danger, and going to the magistrates’ court if it is not moved
  • charging operators the “reasonable” cost of removal, under a charging schedule the Assistant Director would set
  • storing removed bikes in a lockable garage on a council housing estate until the operator collects them

There is no price yet. The report says a per-bike charge “cannot presently be fixed” until a pilot shows how many bikes are removed and what it costs.

It also sets a limit. A bike cannot be treated as a danger “merely because it is outside a designated bay”. Each case has to be judged by an authorised officer on where the bike is and what effect it has.

The power has to go to Full Council, not Cabinet, because the law reserves section 149 for non-executive decision. If it is approved, a new enforcement policy goes to the General Purposes Committee.

Why the current rules have not produced fines

The policy Cabinet approved in February works through the operator. Under the February policy, once the council reports an obstructing bike, the operator has two hours to move it, or must act immediately if it is a dangerous obstruction. A fine follows only if it fails to.

The policy treats a pavement as obstructed where a bike leaves less than about 1.5 metres clear for people walking past. That figure comes from the government’s Inclusive Mobility guidance.

How big the e-bike fleet is

The report sets out the scale for the first time in one place:

Measure Figure
Fleet cap across the borough 1,800 bikes
Operators with an agreement Lime and Forest
Share of all cycling trips in Ealing About 25% (council estimate)
Borough-wide since March 2025
Marked parking bays planned About 300 locations

Hire e-bikes have run in parts of Ealing since 2017. The council plans to stop using “virtual” bays, which exist only in the app, and move almost entirely to bays marked on the street.

A London-wide licensing scheme is coming but not soon. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 lets transport authorities license operators. The report says TfL’s licence “will be ready in summer 2027 at the earliest”. Until then each borough runs its own agreements.

The opposition amendment

The Liberal Democrats have tabled an amendment. It keeps both recommendations and adds three points:

  • Cabinet should review every bay residents have reported as a problem, and move those causing safety concerns near junctions or access problems for disabled people
  • the council “regrets the lack of enforcement over the last eight months”
  • the Mayor of London and the Transport Secretary have not yet brought in a full London licensing regime

What the council leader says

Council leader Peter Mason wrote about the plans in his Leader’s Notes column on 7 October. He said the council has also agreed tougher terms with operators, including “more accurate geo-fencing”, more rangers on the ground and clearer arrangements when an operator fails to act.

“The challenge is not e-bikes themselves,” he wrote. “The challenge is making sure they are used responsibly and managed properly.”

What it means for you

  • Report a badly parked bike. The council asks residents to use Love Clean Streets and include the location, the time and the bike’s ID number. That evidence is what the policy relies on.
  • Nothing changes on the street yet. Even if councillors approve the power on Tuesday, the new enforcement policy still has to go to the General Purposes Committee.
  • Watch or attend the meeting. Full Council meets at 7pm on Tuesday 13 October in the Atrium at Perceval House, 14-16 Uxbridge Road, W5 2HL. The agenda has the papers. We list everything else on it in Ealing council this week.

We will report the outcome of the vote.

Sources