Lime e-bikes have arrived on the North Shore

Lime, the American e-bike company that has been rolling out bright green electric bicycles across the city for the last six years, expanded its empire to the north shore in November. Introduced in North Sydney, Crows Nest, St Leonards, and Chatswood, the bikes have been spotted in both the North Sydney and Willoughby Council areas.

While the bikes represent a move away from driving that could take pressure off of the north shore’s jammed and busy roads, not everyone is thrilled with the move.

Announcing the rollout on November 22, North Sydney Council hailed bike share as a “good form of active transport”, while also noting the risks to pedestrians and footpath accessibility, as well as the looming spectre of dumping. 

Dumping (the act of discarding a bike in a footpath, garden bed, or some other inconvenient locations) has been a recurring issue with e-bike usage across the city.

In a statement to the North Shore Lorikeet, a North Sydney Council spokesperson said they had received “some complaints from the community and Council contractors about Lime Bikes obstructing footpaths and nature strips.”

These complaints have been replicated across several community Facebook groups, with local residents primarily complaining about footpath obstruction.

North Sydney Council’s spokesperson stressed that Lime is legally allowed to operate in the North Sydney LGA as long as they “comply with the relevant legal and regulatory requirements,” emphasising that local governments are not empowered to restrict bike share companies from operating in their councils.

Lime has recently made efforts to better regulate their e-bike share network, with geofencing preventing riders from parking or locking their bikes in certain areas.

North Sydney Council, along with other local governments, have made representations to the State Government and submissions to an ongoing Upper House inquiry, advocating for stricter regulation of bike share providers.

The rollout of e-bike share programs across Sydney has been consistently problematic, with numerous providers entering the fledgling Sydney market only to collapse soon after – leaving fleets of abandoned e-bikes in their wake. The industry has since stabilised, with fewer providers and stricter management.

Image Credit: North Sydney Council