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.