Dangerous e-bikes will be impounded after new powers granted by London council

E-bikes posing a danger or nuisance to pedestrians will be seized under new powers signed-off by a west London borough.

Ealing Council has granted senior officers new authority to immediately take offending e-bikes – a bicycle that has an electric motor to boost speeds – off the road and impound them.

During a full council meeting on Tuesday, councillors voted to delegate statutory powers, a move that allows seizures without court orders.

A council report said: "Immediate removal under section 149(2) is limited to bikes that present a danger requiring removal without delay; other nuisance cases require notice and, if necessary, a court order."

The scheme requires e-bike hire firms to reimburse recovery expenses, with seized bikes stored in a secure council-owned garage on a housing estate.

Dockless ebikes have surged in popularity in recent years, being used for one in 10 of the 1.5m daily cycle journeys in the city, according to estimates by Transport for London.

London currently has a piecemeal approach to regulating e-bikes, with individual councils responsible for setting the rules on their use.

At least 3,000 e-bikes have been seized in London this year

PA

But last month, after new legislation was passed giving mayors greater powers, London mayor Lord Sadiq Khan laid out his vision for a licensing scheme that would apply to all e-bike operators in the capital.

The Labour politician said it would create a single set of rules and rid the city of what he called a “Wild West approach” to controls.

In Ealing, alongside the new powers voted for by councillors this week, the Labour-run local authority has negotiated an updated memorandum of understanding with e-bike operators.

Under the fresh terms, operators will be required to clear reported bikes left in an obstructive location within two hours rather than four.

The 1,800 dockless e-bikes in Ealing operate under the memorandum, with companies Forest and Lime having permission to supply them.

Voi continues to operate in the borough despite not being chosen. According to Councillor Dominic Moffitt, the cabinet member for climate action, the council formally requested that Voi cease operations and withdraw its fleet from Ealing, but Voi has refused to leave.

Ealing councillor Dominic Moffitt

LDRS

Residents are being encouraged to report obstructive bikes via the Love Clean Streets app, including the bikes registration number to facilitate enforcement.

To avoid cluttered streets, the council is transitioning away from virtual in-app parking areas toward a network of approximately 300 physically marked bays across the borough.

Additionally, in-app geofencing precision has been tightened down to a 10cm accuracy to prevent riders from terminating rides outside of marked bays.

Lime and Forest will also be forced to fund additional on street “rangers” dedicated to rearranging missparked bikes.

However, the scheme launched in February 2026 led to no Fixed Penalty Notices being issued to operators.

Ealing Council said this was mainly due to limited staff capacity and “a focus on collaborative working rather than punitive action” to address the issue of obstructive bikes.