The brilliance of Lime Bikes

I was disappointed to learn that the authorities are planning to crack down on dockless bikes and electric scooters. Westminster City Council says it intends to fine the rental firms if vehicles are ‘abandoned’ on pavements, while the Department for Transport is planning to introduce a licensing scheme. This is partly in response to lobbying from disabilities charities, which claim the vehicles are a safety hazard. ‘They need to be stopped, docked and locked,’ a spokesman for the National Federation of the Blind told MailOnline.

I knew it couldn’t last. The sudden appearance of dockless bikes and e-scooters on the streets of England’s cities in 2021 – they’ve yet to reach Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland – was one of the few rays of sunshine in the gloom of the past three years. In general, local authorities shamelessly took advantage of the lockdowns to impose permanent restrictions on the freedom of road users, from Low Traffic Neighbourhoods to cycle lanes. But in the midst of all this the town-hall Sir Humphreys approved the rollout of these unlicensed vehicles without the usual red tape. Their obsession with reducing carbon emissions momentarily trumped their clipboard–wielding, health-and-safety, Warden Hodges mentality.

I had my first go on an electric scooter in Minneapolis in 2019 and was instantly hooked. I was impressed by the fact that you could just jump on without having to take any kind of test, wear a helmet or prove you were over 18. All you needed was a debit card and you could take your chances in the fast-flowing traffic. It was gloriously at odds with the precautionary principle, a throwback to an earlier, more confident period in America’s history. In Minneapolis, you could also park the scooters wherever you liked, which made them incredibly convenient.