Ealing Council has revealed that it has not issued any fixed penalty notices for badly parked rental e-bikes since it introduced an enforcement policy eight months ago, despite growing complaints and concerns from residents about e-bikes blocking pavements and posing dangers to pedestrians.
The Labour-run council has said that limited staff capacity is one reason for the lack of fines. When it introduced the policy in February 2026, it said the scheme would be trialled using existing staff, with the workload monitored to assess whether additional resources were needed.
The findings are contained in a report written by Ealing Council head of transport Emily Shovlar and principal transport planner Eric Pisani, which goes before a full Ealing Council meeting on Tuesday (13 October 2026). Councillors will consider proposals to give officers stronger powers to remove dangerous or obstructive e-bikes from streets and pavements.
The report states: “To date, no FPNs have been issued, which is mainly due to the reporting requirements in the enforcement policy, ensuring operators are provided with a reasonable timeframe to remove bikes, in line with legislative requirements, and a focus on collaborative working rather than punitive action as a starting point to address obstructive bikes.”
It adds: “It is also due to limited staff capacity and ongoing work to identify and prioritise parking issue hotspots.”
The council says working with e-bike operators rather than immediately issuing penalties improved parking compliance for several months, but the situation has since worsened.
The report acknowledges that “there has been a significant rise in resident complaints” about bikes being left on pavements and other parts of the highway, obstructing people using them.
Although the council has identified limited staff capacity as one reason for the lack of fines, it has yet to establish what staffing resources will be needed to enforce the proposed stronger measures.
Its October 2026 report says: “Staffing and workforce implications would relate to the strengthened enforcement policy, and have yet to be determined. They will be assessed and noted for the General Purposes Committee report.”
When Ealing Council introduced its enforcement policy in February 2026, it said operators could face fines if they failed to remove obstructing bikes within two hours of being notified, depending on how serious the obstruction was.
At the time, the council said it was receiving between five and ten complaints a month about e-bikes, with Acton and Ealing among the worst affected areas.
The new proposals would extend the council’s existing highways enforcement arrangements by explicitly giving authorised officers powers under Section 149 of the Highways Act 1980 to deal with dangerous or obstructive e-bikes.
This would allow Ealing Council officers to remove e-bikes posing an immediate danger to the public and recover reasonable removal costs from operators. Where bikes cause a nuisance but do not present an immediate danger, the council would have to give notice and, if necessary, obtain a court order before removing them.
Ealing Council leader Councillor Peter Mason said on the council’s Around Ealing website: “The challenge is not e-bikes themselves. The challenge is making sure they are used responsibly and managed properly.”
Outlining the council's plans, Councillor Mason said: "These measures include more accurate geo-fencing to ensure bikes are parked in designated locations, additional rangers on the ground to respond to issues more quickly, and clearer enforcement arrangements where operators fail to meet their responsibilities."
Lime and Forest are the two rental e-bike operators with agreements to operate in Ealing, with a combined fleet limit of 1,800 bikes. According to the council, rental e-bikes now account for an estimated 25% of cycling journeys across the borough.
Ealing Council is also planning to replace most virtual e-bike parking bays with physically marked spaces on streets across the borough.
The report states: “Ultimately, the council intends to mostly cease using virtual bays and only use marked bays, which are planned for approximately 300 locations across the borough.”
The council says it is expanding designated parking bays following consultation with residents and ward councillors.
Ealing Liberal Democrats are calling for a review of e-bike parking bays that residents have complained about, particularly those near junctions or restricting access for disabled people.
In an amendment submitted ahead of Tuesday’s council meeting, the opposition party also wants Ealing Council to express regret over the lack of enforcement during the past eight months.
The amendment also criticises the lack of progress towards a comprehensive London-wide e-bike licensing system, calling on councillors to express regret that the Mayor of London and the Secretary of State for Transport have not taken all necessary steps to introduce one.
The council’s report says a London-wide e-bike licensing system is not expected until summer 2027 at the earliest.
If councillors approve the proposed additional enforcement powers, the strengthened policy will still need approval from Ealing Council’s General Purposes Committee.
https://www.ealing.news/news/ealing-council-report-reveals-no-e-bike-fines-despite-rising-complaints/
