How we're fixing hire bike parking and other issues

By the end of 2025, there will have been around 10 million trips by hire bike, helping make travel around Islington more sustainable. But when bikes are parked badly, they can block pavements, create hazards, and affect people with mobility needs and visual impairment.

Installing hire bike parking 

We’re installing at least 250 hire bike bays across the borough, with 147 ready to use now. We are installing them in areas where parking is needed and will help to keep them away from places people walk. We don't expect this will increase the number of bikes in Islington.

• February 2024: 10 pilot bays
• January 2025: 78 bays (57 in south Islington)
• August 2025: 59 bays in central Islington and busy spots 
• October 2025: 63 bays in north Islington and busy spots
• January 2026: Number to be confirmed

We are building hire bike bays across Islington to make our streets safer and easier for everyone to get around. This supports our commitment to active travel and is a key part of our Transport Strategy, Active Together Strategy and Vision 2030 for a greener, healthier borough.

Updates on dockless hire bike bays

Go to our dockless hire bike bay consultation page to see maps of bay locations, details of consultations, and opportunities to share feedback. It’s regularly updated with new information as we continue parking bay plans.

Managing bike parking

We are managing bike parking with two steps.

1. Exclusion zones: While we are installing parking bays, each bay has a 100 metre zone around them. Riders in these zones, must park in the bay or face warnings, fines, or bans from the operator. 
2. Bikes must be parked from 2026: Once we have built all of the bays, from early 2026 hire bikes must only be parked in designated bays. 

We have signed agreements with both Lime and Forest that set standards for safety, parking enforcement and response times for removing bikes that block paths.

Working with operators

We work with Lime and Forest to manage their dockless hire bike operations. We have agreements that set out what we expect from these companies and how they should operate in Islington.

We meet with both companies regularly to resolve issues like blocked pavements, responsible parking, and rider behaviour. This helps us make sure that dockless hire bike services are safe, responsible and meet the needs of everyone in Islington.

Other hire bike issues

Hacking update

Lime has upgraded their bikes to stop them from being illegally hacked and used without paying. They have also installed a new locking system and an anti-pedal mechanism. We will monitor how effective these upgrades are in reducing hacked bikes. 

Forest bikes do not have a problems with hacking, but we are checking in so we can tackle any new problems quickly.

Working with others to solve problems

We are also working with the operators and other boroughs to tackle other issues from hire bikes like:

• anti-social behaviour and crime
• underage riding
• bike hacking and misuse

We meet regularly with other London boroughs, Transport for London (TfL), and London Councils to share ideas and push for stronger regulation and powers to do more. 

More information

• Visit our Bike Hire in Islington page for information about hire bikes. 
• For questions, contact: CycleHire@islington.gov.uk