Wandsworth Introduces Fair Use Charter for e-bikes
Aiming to tackle obstructive e-bike parking and improve pavement safety
Example of poorly parked e-bikes on a local residential road. Picture: Wandsworth Council
October 15, 2026
Wandsworth Council has launched a new Fair Use Charter for e-bike and e-scooter operators, setting out stricter expectations for how hire bikes are managed across the borough and giving the Council stronger powers to deal with obstructive parking. The move comes as usage continues to rise, with eight million journeys recorded in 2025 and numbers expected to exceed ten million this year.
The Charter aims to address concerns raised by residents about bikes left blocking pavements, creating difficulties for wheelchair users, people with buggies and those with reduced mobility. It sets out clearer responsibilities for operators and introduces enforcement measures intended to ensure bikes are parked safely and removed promptly when they cause problems.
A new operational team is now patrolling the borough to monitor hotspots and remove bikes that are badly parked. The Council is also encouraging residents to report obstructive bikes directly through operators’ apps or via the Council’s website, as part of a wider effort to tackle the issue collaboratively.
Cllr Nick Austin, Cabinet Member for Transport, said the Charter is designed to balance the benefits of e-bikes with the need for safe public spaces. He said: “E-bikes provide a convenient and flexible travel option for many people and are obviously here to stay, but residents are rightly frustrated with bikes blocking our pavements and roads. Our new Fair Use Charter stands up for residents and their need for safe pavements and public spaces. It is designed to set clear expectations for operators, ensuring they manage their bikes and scooters better, and respond quickly when issues arise. The Charter also gives the Council stronger powers to take enforcement action and make operators pay.”
Under the Charter, operators must remove dangerous or obstructive bikes within two hours of a report, make no-parking and restricted zones clear within their apps, prevent riders from parking in banned areas and move bikes quickly to avoid clutter in busy locations.
The Council will be able to remove and impound bikes that operators fail to clear within the required timeframe, recover costs from operators, require companies to monitor and address illegal or dangerous cycling, and publish monthly data on usage, complaints, penalties and fines. Legal agreements with operators will be renewed and amended as needed.
To support better parking compliance, the Council will also increase the number of designated e-bike parking bays and expand existing bays in busy areas to ensure bikes are left within marked spaces.
Residents who spot an e-bike causing an obstruction can report it via the operator’s app or at wandsworth.gov.uk/report-ebikes.
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