Key Points

Greenwich Council has unveiled 29 designated dockless parking bays for Lime and Forest e-bikes across the borough, all surrounding Greenwich Park in the north-west part of South East London
The council has approved a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) formally establishing these on-street parking places for e-bike pick-up and drop-off
An interactive map shows all 29 locations, with road markings and signage accompanying the docking bays
The initiative is part of a broader strategy to encourage low-carbon transport options and reduce reliance on private cars, aligning with Greenwich’s commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030
Lime and Forest each pay the council an initial £30,000 plus an annual fee of £170 per parking bay, with no cost to the council
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) sets maximum/minimum bike numbers, operator response timeframes, servicing/maintenance regimes, and customer service standards
The original plan revealed in August 2025 included 55 locations, but resident objections reduced the initial rollout to 29 locations
If any of the 29 locations receive objections from residents, they will be subject to further assessment
The 29 locations include Trevithick Street, Tarves Way (two bays), Deptford Green, Deptford Church Street, Gonson Street, Thames Path by Clarence Road, Cutty Sark Gardens, Greenwich High Road, Maze Hill (two bays), Crooms Hill, and Anchor and Hope Lane
Transport for London has contributed £69,500 towards creating the bays
Eventually, 200 parking bays are planned across the borough in four phases, covering the entire borough
Users will be unable to park outside the bays once the scheme is mandatory; each bay is the size of a car parking space with capacity for eight bikes
The deal with Lime was finally signed after two years of plans, with councillors in January 2025 threatening to ban Lime from the borough if no deal was signed by summer
Neighbouring Lewisham signed a similar deal with both companies in March 2026 and has had bays in place since 2024
Forty per cent of households in Greenwich do not own a car, and many areas have poor public transport accessibility

Greenwich (South London News) June 5, 2026 — The Royal Borough of Greenwich has officially unveiled the locations of 29 designated parking bays for dockless e-bikes operated by Lime and Forest, marking a significant step in regulating the previously unregulated shared e-bike market in the area.

How Did Greenwich Council Approve the New Traffic Regulation Order for E-Bikes?

The South East London authority has approved a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) that allows for the designation of these on-street parking places that e-bike customers can pick up and drop off the vehicles at. This formal legal mechanism provides the council with enforcement powers to ensure bikes are parked only in designated areas, addressing long-standing complaints about pavement obstruction.

As reported by The Evening Standard,

“The initiative which supports e-bike schemes offered by operators such as Lime and Forest is part of a broader strategy to encourage low-carbon transport options and reduce reliance on private cars”.

Why Were Only 29 Locations Selected Instead of the Original 55?

Plans to introduce 55 locations were revealed in August 2025, mostly in Deptford, Greenwich and Blackheath, but objections by residents mean this total has been whittled down to fewer than 30 for the initial rollout, according to The Greenwich Wire. The 29 locations included in the first rollout are areas where no site-specific objections have been received, while council officers are now reviewing the other 26 locations.

As noted by The Greenwich Wire,

“Complaints about introducing bays appear to be slowing down efforts to deal with the problem”

of dockless bikes blocking pavements. If any of these 29 locations receive objections from residents, they will be subject to further assessment, according to the council.

What Financial Arrangements Exist Between the Council and E-Bike Operators?

The council previously signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Lime last summer and has now finalised a similar agreement with Forest, according to the Evening Standard. These agreements involve e-bike companies paying the council an initial £30,000 plus an annual fee of £170 per parking bay.

As reported by Southwark News,

“Lime will pay the council £30,000 plus an annual £170 fee per parking bay, which is estimated to be another £30,000 annually. There will be no cost to the council”.

Forest will pay Greenwich the same £30,000 plus an annual fee of £170 per dockless bike bay, with the deal lasting for a year but renewable for up to two more years.

Transport for London has contributed £69,500 towards creating the bays, according to The Greenwich Wire.

How Will the Memorandum of Understanding Regulate E-Bike Operations?

The MoUs provide a framework for e-bike operations within Greenwich, mainly focused on how and where bikes should be parked to prevent them from becoming an obstruction for pedestrians and other road users, according to the Evening Standard.

The MoU also sets out the maximum and minimum number of bikes to be provided throughout Greenwich, the timeframe for operators to respond to issues with bikes, servicing and maintenance regimes, and the customer service available to e-bike users.

As stated in a council report cited by The Greenwich Wire,

“The shared dockless e-bike market is currently unregulated, and the borough has limited powers to enforce against issues caused by the services. This includes current issues of irresponsible parking seen within the borough. The approach set out in this report provides the best opportunity to influence the management of services to provide the best outcome for both users and non-users”.

The deal will outline the areas within the borough where bikes can be used, areas where use is not permitted and areas where bikes are limited to slower speeds.

It will also set rules for the maximum and minimum number of bikes to be provided within each scheme area, the timeframe for operators to respond to issues with bikes, the servicing and maintenance regimes for the bikes, and the customer service available to users and to people reporting issues with bikes.

Where Exactly Are the 29 Parking Bay Locations?

Greenwich Council has set out where it will establish the 29 e-bike parking bays, all of which surround Greenwich Park in the north west part of the borough, according to the Evening Standard. Road markings and signage will accompany the docking bays.

The first locations include: Trevithick Street, Tarves Way (two bays), Deptford Green, Deptford Church Street, Gonson Street, Thames Path by Clarence Road, Welland Street, Cutty Sark Gardens, Greenwich High Road, Devonshire Drive, Duke Humphrey Road, Royal Hill, Point Hill, Whitworth Street, Banning Street, Tunnel Avenue (two bays), Glenforth Street, Frobisher Street, West Parkside, Horn Link Way, Maze Hill (two bays), Crooms Hill, Anchor and Hope Lane, Old Woolwich Road, Hardy Road, and Ulundi Road.

The locations include several next to Greenwich Park, one in Cutty Sark Gardens and two behind Greenwich station, according to The Greenwich Wire.

There will be six parking bays in Deptford, including on the borough boundary at Watergate Street and off Deptford Church Street, where Lewisham Council is building a segregated cycle route.

When Will the Full 200-Bay Plan Be Implemented Across Greenwich?

Eventually, 200 bays are planned across the borough in a further three phases, according to The Greenwich Wire. The area covered by the original 55 phase-one parking bays covers most of Lime’s operating area in the borough, but not most of Charlton, where much of the borough’s retail is based, or Blackheath Village, another shopping area.

However, a second phase could follow three months after work has finished on the first one, with the aim to have 200 bays across four phases covering the entire borough.

No timeframe is given for the rollout, which the council hopes to eventually extend to the whole borough, according to The Greenwich Wire.

What Happened Before the Deal Was Finally Signed?

Lime first started operating in Greenwich in 2022, but they have operated on a “free floating” basis where users have been able to end their ride anywhere, according to Southwark News. Greenwich Council first announced plans to sign a dockless parking deal with Lime in 2023. However, no progress was made with the dumped bikes in unsafe locations and in January 2025, councillors backed a motion threatening to ban Lime from the borough if a deal was not signed by summer.

Plans to strike a deal with Lime about creating bays were finally confirmed last month, three years after the San Francisco-based tech giant started operating its bikes in the northwest of the borough, with complaints from residents about dumped cycles blocking pavements, according to The Greenwich Wire.

Two years ago Greenwich first announced plans to sign a deal with Lime and its rival, Forest, but little progress was made, The Greenwich Wire reported. Earlier this year frustrated councillors backed a motion threatening to ban Lime from the borough if a deal was not signed by this summer.

Many bikes that are dumped have been deliberately damaged to allow users to ride without paying, leading to the clicking sound as they run without power, according to Southwark News.

Transport for London has declined to extend its own hire bikes to Greenwich, saying it would want boroughs to fund any expansion of the Santander_cycles scheme, The Greenwich Wire noted.

How Does This Compare to Neighbouring Boroughs’ E-Bike Deals?

Neighbouring Lewisham signed a similar deal to this in 2023 and Southwark Council have deals in place with Lime and Forest, but these do not include dedicated parking bays, according to Southwark News.

Lewisham Council announced that it had signed a deal with both companies in March 2026, and Lewisham has had bays in place in the north of its borough since 2024, according to The Greenwich Wire. Forest recently moved into Lewisham and parts of Greenwich, but has no deal with either council, The Greenwich Wire reported.

Because Transport for London lacks the power to license operators on a city-wide basis, the capital’s boroughs have to strike their own individual deals, according to The Greenwich Wire.

What Is the Environmental and Accessibility Rationale Behind the Scheme?

Greenwich Council has said operating e-bikes fits in with their green mission and ties in with their commitment to be carbon neutral by 2030, according to Southwark News.

Forty per cent of households in Greenwich do not own a car and many areas have poor accessibility to public transport, so the agreement allows locals in Greenwich to access the e-bikes in a safer way, Southwark News reported.

The bikes have become hugely popular in a hilly area with unreliable bus services and infrequent trains, according to The Greenwich Wire.

What Are the Rules for Parking and Bike Capacity?

Users will be unable to park outside the bays, according to a paper published on an obscure corner of the council’s website, according to The Greenwich Wire. Each bay will be the size of a car parking space and will have space for eight bikes, The Greenwich Wire reported.

The council is also planning to sign a deal with Lime, which would mean users cannot park outside the bays, according to The Greenwich Wire.

A consultation will run alongside the trial, which will help decide if the parking bays are to be made permanent, The Greenwich Wire noted.

Background: How Did Dockless E-Bike Parking Become an Issue in Greenwich?

The sight of dockless bikes being abandoned on pavements or by the roadside is an ongoing issue for Lime and its London rival Forest, according to social media reports cited in search results. The shared dockless e-bike market is currently unregulated, and the borough has limited powers to enforce against issues caused by the services, according to a council report cited by The Greenwich Wire. This includes current issues of irresponsible parking seen within the borough.

The government has announced plans for regulation, however, these are not expected to be adopted within the next two years, according to Southwark News.

Boroughs currently have very limited powers to regulate operators or take action to remove bikes that are causing issues, Southwark News reported. To soothe concerns about obstructed pavements, councils are now installing parking bays directly onto streets, permanently embedding the schemes, according to the BBC.

Prediction: How Will This Development Affect Greenwich Residents and E-Bike Users?

Greenwich residents who have complained about bikes blocking pavements should see immediate improvement as the 29 designated bays provide clear, safe locations for e-bikes to be parked at the start and end of journeys, helping to improve pedestrian safety and reduce pavement obstruction, according to Highways News. E-bike users will need to adapt to mandatory parking within designated bays, as users will be unable to end a hire and park a bike outside of bays, according to the council decision paper cited by The Greenwich Wire.

Residents living near the 29 locations surrounding Greenwich Park may initially experience construction activity as road markings and signage are installed, but once operational, the bays should reduce the clutter of randomly parked e-bikes that has been a significant source of complaints.

For the 40 per cent of Greenwich households without cars, the scheme provides safer, more reliable access to e-bikes as an alternative transport option, particularly in areas with poor public transport accessibility, according to Southwark News.

The reduction from 55 to 29 locations due to resident objections means some areas originally planned for bays will not see them in the initial phase, potentially leaving gaps in coverage that residents in Charlton and Blackheath Village may notice, according to The Greenwich Wire.

However, the council’s plan to eventually expand to 200 bays across four phases suggests these gaps will be addressed over time.

E-bike operators Lime and Forest will face stricter enforcement and operational requirements, including defined servicing and maintenance regimes, which should improve bike quality and reduce the number of damaged or abandoned bikes that have been deliberately tampered with to avoid payment, according to Southwark News. The £170 per bay annual fee paid by operators means the scheme generates revenue for the council rather than costing taxpayers, according to Southwark News.