It’s The Users, Not The Supply…

Londoners are calling for the end of Lime Bikes in the capital after they were spotted blocking entire pavements.

A call I heartily support! There's a bike stand outside the office but these things lie on their sides littering the pavement all around it, they are a menace.  

A shocking picture posted to the Reddit group, r/London shows a large area of a street taken over by a parked Lime Bikes. Captioning the post, Reddit user ldn6 said: "Lime Bikes are blocking entire pavements and side streets. This is getting ridiculous." Now, a debate between Londoners has seen many call the hire bikes a 'nuisance' and have described the parking situation as 'ridiculous'.

It is, but the issue is the users of them. 

Commenting on the Reddit post, many suggested that the bikes may create an issue for wheelchair and pram users, as one local said: "Between these and bins on the paths, you don't realise how bad it is until you have a pram.

Others suggested that the problem could be solved by fining Lime: "The bike companies should be fined.

"If you put the burden of fining poor users on the companies that run the bikes, they would soon find ways to be more responsible."

Good point, but why is no-one suggesting fining the users as well? They are traceable. 

A Lime spokesperson said: "We never want Lime’s e-bike to obstruct anyone’s journey and we recognise that one of the most significant challenges facing our industry is the issue of overcrowded parking bays.

"We are working behind the scenes with boroughs to help create more parking bays across London.

What are you doing about the users who ignore them, though? 

"We have a team of 250 people that help to move mis-parked bikes and clear overcrowded bays. We encourage the public to report instances of overcrowding so our team can quickly move and redistribute bikes.

And what penalties do the users of those 'misparked' bikes face? Is it nothing? It is, isn't it? 

"If our vehicles are causing a hazard or obstructing traffic, we aim to respond at pace, with the majority of vehicles moved within one hour of being reported."

Start charging a penalty charge for every obstructively parked vehicle, and you'll soon see a change. 

A Different Sort Of Activist Infiltration...

We're used to trans cultists and Islamists, now that other scourge of modern life has decided to worm its way into the ranks of the decision makers:

A widower has today claimed a cycling lobby in Government tried to stop his seven-year battle for tougher penalties for killer riders. It comes after the House of Commons backed an amendment this week to create three new offences for dangerous cyclists — 'causing serious injury by dangerous cycling' and 'causing death by careless or inconsiderate cycling'. Campaigner Matt Briggs, 53, raised a glass to his late wife Kim upon news of the victory last Thursday, telling MailOnline it would hopefully give authorities a 'clear process to prosecution'.

They have such a process in other crimes and often drop the ball, so don't expect this to be any different... 

Kim sustained catastrophic head injuries after being hit by Charlie Alliston who was riding a fixed-gear bike with no front brakes at 18mph in Old Street, east London in 2016. She died a week later in hospital, aged just 44. Now, Mr Briggs has said one of the biggest setbacks to his campaign was 'forces' in Government that did not want cyclists to be held legally to account in the same way motorists are.

Can't be Boris, can it?  

Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Briggs said he'd 'occasionally felt like giving up', after the former transport secretary Grant Shapps stated twice that new laws would be introduced but they never materialised. 'I was brought up to believe that when people in authority say something is going to happen, it does,' Mr Briggs told the newspaper.

*boggle*