Council criticised for removing private bicycles but not e-bikes from Roman Road
Private bicycles may be removed for ‘obstructing’ Roman Road while rental e-bikes block the pavement with impunity, according to a resident’s complaint.
Tower Hamlets Council has been criticised for threatening to remove push bikes ‘obstructing’ Roman Road despite imposing no similar restrictions on rented e-bikes.
Roman Road resident Oliver McGough complained to the council last month after he found a warning that his bike was ‘causing an obstruction’ and ‘may be moved without warning’.
McGough said: ‘Cycling is one of the most affordable and accessible modes of transport, particularly for working-class residents.
‘My bike is my primary way of getting around London.
‘Removing neatly parked bicycles without providing alternatives risks pushing people back towards car dependency.’
He said that he had parked his bike on a Roman Road post for the last two and a half years without issue, as there are no locking posts near his flat, while e-bikes often blocked his entrance.
The council responded that they had not signed any removal agreements with e-bike operators.
A spokesperson said: ‘Unfortunately, due to the unregulated nature of this sector, enforcement powers are limited and we are awaiting new legislation from central government as part of the English Devolution Bill to control these operations.’
The legislation will make it easier for councils to regulate e-bikes by making the highest local power (in this case, ‘mayoral strategic authorities’) licensing authorities for vehicles like e-bikes.
However, multiple London authorities, such as Haringey, Hounslow, and Camden, have already used a range of workarounds to limit where rental e-bikes can be parked.
This often includes signing specific contracts with e-bike companies to work together to limit parking spaces.
For private cycles, while there are over 50 cycle stands both on and next to Roman Road, provision is heavily skewed to the west of Regent’s Canal.
East of the canal, street lamps, poles, and trees are often seen holding several locked bicycles.
Tower Hamlets Council also argued that: ‘We already have cycle stands at several locations along Roman Road, catering for short-term cycle parking for both residents and visitors.
‘With regards to secure cycle parking provision, we have a number of bike hangars serving the area.’
The council last year won a High Court case challenging three low traffic neighbourhood schemes in the borough.
McGough said: ‘The council has a responsibility to support sustainable, safe, and equitable transport.
‘Investing in cycle infrastructure pays back many times over: in health, local economy, and reduced congestion.’
With e-bike rentals booming and fraught debates over LTNs, the council is being forced to make decisions on who deserves space, and who doesn’t, in an already-overcrowded borough.
If you liked this, read How Tower Hamlets’ LTN removal could open the gates for reversals across the capital
I wish they would turn their attention to the grotesquely ugly and unnecessary oversupply of on street CAR parking on Roman Road. Tower Hamlets mayor hates sustainable transport and loves cars despite the fact that Roman Road is clearly a NEIGHBOURHOOD centre, where almost everyone that goes there lives within walking distance. The obsession with allowing lazy, selfish people to clutter the street up with cars when they likely live round the corner goes against every place making principal in the book.