An electric bike company has started operating in Oxford "without permission" from the county council, traders have bemoaned. 

American company Lime run electric scooters, electric bikes and electric mopeds in various cities around the world.

But their arrival in Oxford has not got off to a good start.

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Traders in Frideswide Square protested earlier this month when contractors for Lime started to paint lines on the pavement to mark out a new bike bay.

Amanda Suliman-Bell, who runs Rainbow & Spoon boutique, said she and other traders in the square were not consulted about the bike bay.

(Image: Andy Ffrench) She added: "People from Lime came along and started to paint white lines outside Lula's restaurant but we stood in front of them with our arms folded until they went away."

Lime did succeed in setting up a bay for its app-controlled bikes in Botley Road outside West Oxford Community Centre.

But it is understood it went ahead without getting any kind of permission or consent from Oxfordshire County Council, which is the highways authority.

A spokesman for the county council said: "At the moment, local authorities have limited control over operators installing rental e-bikes.

"Oxfordshire County Council is currently in discussion with Lime with a view to establishing an agreed code of conduct for their operations in Oxford.

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"Should people have any details or questions about individual Lime bikes, these should be forwarded to support@li.me

"Any other queries regarding Lime’s operations should be passed to help-oxford@li.me." 

(Image: Andy Ffrench) It is understood that Lime may have decided to go ahead with setting up parking bays before being given the go-ahead.

The company has been approached for a comment.

While Voi's e-scooters can be parked in parking bays, Lime bikes are freestanding when they are parked.

As a result, it is easier to abandon them instead of returning them to where they were hired from.

Teenager Jack, 17, said: "You download an app and then you can hire the bike.

"It's quite easy to use - I think they're useful."

Lime bikes are already being dumped - one was abandoned last week outside St Frideswide Church in Botley Road.

(Image: Andy Ffrench) Another local authority, the London borough of Brent, is already considering banning Lime's electric bikes, because its bikes are repeatedly being dumped.

Its council leader has drafted a list of demands that the company must agree to before a potential ban on October 31.

These include the introduction of dedicated parking bays, resources to remove incorrectly parked or abandoned bikes, and larger fines for users who fail to leave their e-bikes in the correct location.

It is not the first time Oxford has been faced with abandoned 'dockless' bikes.

Before 2020, three dockless bike firms were operating in the city, Ofo, Pony and Mobike, but demand for their use fell, and the firms withdrew their operations.

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About the author 

Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here. 

He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.

His Trade and Tourism newsletter is released every Saturday morning. 

You can also read his weekly Traffic and Transport newsletter.