Residents and businesses in the Royal Borough of Greenwich can comment on plans for 108 additional mandatory parking bays for rental e-bikes. The statutory consultation opened on 7 October and is due to close on 28 October 2026.
The council says the proposed bays would give dockless rental bikes designated places to start and end journeys, with the aim of keeping footways clear and making public space easier to use. The 108 sites would add to an earlier phase: the council says the first 45 designated bays have already been introduced.
What the proposal would do
The proposal is to make a Traffic Management Order covering selected streets across the borough. Such an order is the legal mechanism the council is using to regulate how roads and kerbside space are used. The current consultation is about whether to proceed with making that order; it is not a final decision to install every proposed bay.
The council’s consultation notice says the bays would be approved locations for rental e-bike operators and their customers. Riders would be expected to start and finish trips in designated areas. The council says the approach is intended to address bikes left in places where they can obstruct pavements, while retaining a parking option for short journeys and connections with public transport.
The council’s announcement says operators would pay for installing the bays and an annual operating fee. It also says riders can face a fine for ending a journey outside designated areas, with separate fines for bikes parked obstructively or dangerously. Operators may also face penalties if they do not remove obstructive bikes within specified timeframes. These existing operating arrangements form part of the background to the new consultation; the 108 proposed locations remain subject to the statutory process.
Why the council says it is acting
Rental e-bikes can be used for short trips and to connect with public transport, but bikes left across a footway can make it harder for people to move through the street. The council specifically highlights disabled people, older residents, people with visual impairments, and parents and carers using pushchairs among those who may encounter difficulty.
Designated bays are intended to concentrate parking at identifiable points rather than leave users to choose an arbitrary place on the pavement. The council describes the earlier 45 bays as the first phase and says the additional locations would extend the arrangement across the borough. It has not described the current proposals as approved, and the consultation allows local concerns about particular sites to be considered before a decision.
How to take part
Residents, businesses and other interested people may submit an objection or representation in writing during the consultation. Responses should identify the relevant bay location and explain the grounds for the comment. They can be sent by email or post to the council’s transport programme delivery team; the council’s consultation information provides the contact details and submission instructions.
Statutory notices are to be displayed on affected streets, alongside the required public advertisements. The council says paper copies of the plans will also be available for public inspection at Woolwich Centre Library during its normal opening hours. The consultation period ends at 11.59pm on Wednesday 28 October.
After the deadline, the council says it will consider the responses before deciding whether to make the Traffic Management Order. The proposals therefore remain open to change: residents can raise issues with a specific location, and the council has not yet confirmed a final list of installed bays.
