To think the providers of ebikes in cities (hello Lime and Voi)

[CurdinHenry]

Should just go to prison right now and never emerge

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/07/i-felt-my-spine-and-body-split-the-woman-who-was-hit-by-a-child-on-a-lime-bike-and-denied-compensation

I am a pedestrian. They are not a scourge to me.

If you are hit by a driver you are more likely to die

Drivers tend not to drive down pedestrianised streets or pavements

If it had been hired the trip would have been insured
But going by the article she was hit by a 10 year old child on a stolen / hacked Lime bike

She is a victim of crime

The child has not been traced, there is nothing in the records for it being used as it was not hired from Lime

Pretty efficient at killing pedestrians and cyclists never the less

If Lime can't prevent their bikes being stolen, used illegally, ridden by under age users... then they should indeed pay out if an accident occurs.

If the accident occurs when the bike is ridden properly by a legal user, fair enough, the user pays... and Lime should make that clear to users.

Looking at the video I think this is unlikely. Lime bikes are relatively easy to hack so that they unlock without the app - lots of London kids can do it, BUT when you use them in this way, the electric motor doesn't work. You are just pedalling a 40kg push bike "manually" (or whatever the leg equivalent is) and it's very hard to get them up to even the speed of an average bike. If this kid was riding the bike with its motor working, he'd either nicked it mid-ride from someone who was riding it legitimately (unlikely, as you can pause them if you want to nip into a shop), or some idiot adult had given him access.

I think e-bikes should be banned entirely. They're motorised vehicles, they're fast, they're heavy and no one is policing their use properly. Yes to regular bikes though. Responsible cyclists are something else entirely but e-bikes and e-scooters are a complete hazard.

Let’s hope it happens. There’s enough of us that hate them, let’s hope we get taken notice of.

People who have different views of the world to you are trolls? What a narrow view of life you have

I am aware of the weight of an e-bike as I ride them several times a day. The heaviest ones weight about 40kg which is a lot less than the average adult. If your wall can't cope with a 40kg weight against it then you need to get the builders in urgently before it falls down!

Point taken re narrow pavements. I do try to move badly parked bikes when I spot them as I have had mobility issues in the past and know how hard it is getting down the street even without extra obstacles. And I don't want the bikes banned as I rely on them to get around!

Of course the wall isn't going to fall down but anyway I don't want the bricks damaged. And I think it's perfectly reasonable to not want anything against the wall. I wouldn't do it to someone's wall.

Btw there were four lime bikes all parked up wheel to wheel on the pavement outside this morning, taking up a sizeable chunk of pavement. As there are cars parked nose to tail too, anyone with a buggy or mobility scooter or even a dog would have to go into the road. We have a blind man who lives further up the street who has a guide dog and stick - goodness knows how he manages.

It’s completely reasonable to not want it leaning against your wall! As for the pavement blocking, I think it is very challenging for those pushing buggies to navigate narrow pavements now clogged, but as for the safety issue you mention, I honestly think a complaint to the council is in order. It’s an absolutely haphazard lack of awareness and consideration for others. Grrr indeed!

I hate all these bloody bikes on the pavement and the ones which speed through red light. I was almost hit this week crossing the road opposite my work. The big e bikes need licencing and riders should pass a road test I think as they are so dangerous.

So the cars are part of the problem too then?

No. They are all parked legally and correctly. Not on the pavement.

My point is that pedestrians can't get past because you have walls on one side cars on the other, and bikes on the pavement.

I can't see why you are defending this tbh.

So give up some of that 'nose to tail' car parking space over to bike parking. Problem solved.

I think it should be mandatory for the bikes to have a cycle helmet attached. They could add a sensor so it needs to be attached back properly or there will be a fine, in the same way there is a fine if bikes aren’t put back in the same place.

The comparison with cars is not a very good one, as people own their own cars and are 100% responsible. In this case, it would be like Hertz lying and saying that they didn't know who had hired a car, which had been in a crash.

This is what Lime have done, when it's evident that they absolutely must know, as they can only be hired, by paying with a card.

The victim's lawyers have told her that, without a name, they cannot claim.

Someone said that she has gone to the Motor Insurers Bureau, which, from personal experience, do take ages, ignore facts and lie about it, keep demanding paperwork they already have etc.

That's what is needed. We already have bays for electric vehicle charging.

Btw there are currently 9 Lime / Forest bikes on the pavement now.

This is the equivalent of sending all car manufactures to prison too. Fault lays with the operator of the vehicle not the maker.

I have successfully used lime bikes in a number of cities without hurting anyone or causing any accidents.

It's a bicycle. The bicycle itself hasn't done anything wrong?! They're good for getting around for lots of people.

I can't use them as I am too scared but I don't think they could be considered death machines because one person on one crashed into someone. What about manufacturers of all motorised vehicles? Much more dangerous!

@Nodirectionhome The riders of the e-bikes and e-scooters are not even getting any exercise. It is like having motorbikes on pavements.

Ebikes need you to cycle before providing any assistance so it's utterly wrong to say that riders aren't getting any exercise.

I have my own ebike. I have a growth on the bottom of my foot that means walking more than a short distance is impossible due to the pain. My ebike has transformed my life, has made me able to exercise without pain and keeps my elderly joints moving. I cycle mainly on quiet back roads - I've had a few near misses with cars overtaking me where the road has narrowed due to parked cars. I wouldn't be without mine though, and shame on those wanting them all to be banned - you have no idea what it's like to have the solution to a disability, and then someone wants to get rid of that solution.