Lime bikes are "taking up too much pavement space" in Oxford, according to a campaigner for pedestrians.

American company Lime run app-registered electric scooters, electric bikes and electric mopeds in various cities and has started to hire out its electric bikes in and around the city centre.

But it has not been given permission to operate in Oxford by Oxfordshire County Council, which is the highways authority.

READ MORE: E-bike company is operating without permission

A spokesman for the county council said earlier: "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."

(Image: Andy Ffrench) The council had agreed with Voi that its 850 e-scooters can be hired in Oxford in a trial which has been extended until 2026.

Oxford Pedestrians Association chairwoman Sushila Dhall said she was opposed to electric bikes and scooters being parked on pavements.

She added: "E-bikes are generally part of the solution in facing the climate emergency, but they should never be on pavements, either parked or moving.

"And OxPA would say that the county council should have a rule not to place any type of e-vehicle or cycle parking on pavements. Not just limit the number but reduce it to zero."

(Image: Andy Ffrench) Ms Dhall added that the pavements "are littered with e-bikes and e-scooters", in addition to all the other clutter that people see fit to place on pavements.

She said: "If the e-vehicles were allocated parking in the roads, we would be able to welcome them as part of the solution to Oxford's transport and air pollution crises.

(Image: Oxford Mail) "Wheelchair users and pedestrians should not have to get off pavements in order to move forward, and many are the times wheelchair users in particular are forced to turn back and not go directly to where they intended to go due to e-vehicles scattered across pavements."

John Paine, secretary of the Oxfordshire branch of the National Pensioners' Convention, said obstructions to Oxford’s pavements seemed to increase every day.

He added: "It is unacceptable that companies Voi and Lime – and their e-scooter and e-bike customers – have taken over much of the city’s pavement space.

"We understand that each company has added 100 large e-bikes to the clutter of pavement obstacles. They are left all around the city, not just at designated spots."

Earlier this month, traders in Frideswide Square said they protested when Lime bikes contractors started to mark out a parking bay for the bikes outside the entrance to their businesses.

Lime bikes have been contacted for comment.

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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. 

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