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On Tuesday 12 August at round 6:30 pm, my left wrist was shattered in an accident as I cycled on a quiet residential road close to Elephant and Fortress. At level clean vary, straight forward of me, a bunch of boys aged not more than 11 or 12 on Lime bikes shot straight into the highway at velocity with out trying. With no time to brake, I slammed into the facet of certainly one of them. The influence crushed my entrance wheel and threw me over my handlebars.
The group of lads, none of whom had been injured, stayed round for 5 minutes or so, extra amused than remorseful, earlier than leaving the scene. One variety fellow bike owner stayed with me, tying up the stays of my bike earlier than ready till my taxi arrived. On the hospital, an x-ray confirmed a nasty fracture. A fortnight later, I had a metallic plate and screws inserted throughout surgical procedure. Months of restoration and interruptions to my regular routines lie forward.
Being a great citizen, I filed a police report and contacted Lime. The police opened and closed the case (no CCTV, no hope of tracing the children) and Lime launched an investigation. Their insurers have been in contact, however a prime private harm lawyer warned me to not get my hopes up.
Rent a Lime bike by way of the app and your journey is insured, protecting the rider, the bike and any third events. Lime coverage is that solely over-18s can lease certainly one of its bikes. However I collided with a toddler who was both driving a Lime with out paying (in impact, stealing it) or had an account (or was utilizing another person’s) opposite to Lime’s guidelines. Both manner, he was uninsured.
There’s little cause why you’d have heard of the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB). Funded from everybody’s automotive insurance coverage premiums and backed by part 95 of the Highway Site visitors Act 1988, in case you are in an accident brought on by an uninsured motorcar, the MIB steps in. Successfully, it’s the insurer of final resort. However be in an accident with a stolen Lime bike and also you’re by yourself – the MIB doesn’t cowl uninsured rental e-bikes – neither is there an equal for micromobility.
Let’s be clear – I’ve no grudge towards e-bikes. I’ve had a Lime account previously. E-bikes have apparent positives (including to move choices) and broadly acknowledged negatives (dumping of bikes, reckless biking). The drawbacks don’t solely lie with Lime to repair – e-bike customers additionally should take some accountability. However Lime may do extra to handle areas the place it’s falling brief.
Take the benefit with which Lime bikes will be stolen. It could appear easy to stop folks pedalling off on one with out paying. But Lime repeatedly appears incapable of stopping it, all the time one step behind those that’ve labored out one other approach to hack them. Ever questioned what that “clack, clack, clack” sound you typically hear on the road is? It’s somebody on a stolen Lime bike.
Take Lime’s coverage of renting bikes solely to these over the age of 18. When establishing an account, you’re requested to tick a field accepting Lime’s consumer settlement. Provided that you click on on this and scroll down fairly a way do you come to a point out of the minimal age rule. And when hiring, no proof of ID to confirm a consumer’s age is requested for. What number of Lime bike customers on London’s streets both lied about their age or didn’t learn the consumer settlement and so are unaware that they’re too younger to be driving one?
Then there’s the query of these underage customers “borrowing” an grownup’s account. We already know from my latest expertise {that a} little one on a stolen Lime bike inflicting an accident isn’t insured. However what if it’s a toddler utilizing an grownup’s account or an account that features false data? Is Lime’s insurance coverage null-and-void? The children I encountered didn’t grasp round, and even when they’d volunteered names and addresses, they likelihood is they’d have been be false.
Washing its arms of accountability, Lime claimed that what occurred to me was a police problem, because the theft of the bike was a prison offence. However the firm’s failure to get the main points of those that steal its bikes makes it inconceivable to do something.
The messiness surrounding what’s and isn’t insured makes the case for common insurance coverage cowl, every time Lime bikes are in use and no matter who’s within the saddle. If this was the case, it will focus minds at Lime – in a single day, I wager they’d triple efforts to stop theft and dramatically tighten up age checks. Lowering theft would additionally assist with the issue of dumped Lime bikes – Lime’s coverage of fining customers who recklessly go away bikes strewn throughout pavements is toothless for perpetrators that don’t have an account!
The issue is that with out being dragged kicking and screaming, Lime received’t voluntarily take such steps. They may must be mandated by an acceptable regulatory physique. Alas, not one of the apparent authorities have the required powers. Actually not London’s 32 native authorities, left to make do the very best they will with by-laws and enforcement laws that had been by no means meant for e-bikes. Neither does Transport for London. It has jurisdiction over black cabs, personal rent automobiles, a trial of e-scooter trials and, coming quickly, pedicabs, however it’s powerless in terms of e-bikes.
The regulation, as is usually the case, is a decade behind. There’s a glimmer of hope on the horizon – the English Devolution and Group Empowerment Invoice working its manner by way of parliament contains new clauses (Half 2, clauses 23-29) designed to strengthen and simplify the regulation of micro-mobility suppliers. Credit score the place it’s resulting from TfL and London Councils for his or her fixed lobbying.
Alas, this changing into regulation, not to mention put into motion, is a few years away. Little question Lime will struggle a rearguard motion. But when parliament does its job, e-bike suppliers might be licensed, topic to stricter guidelines on security and utilization, liable to penalties for failures and will even lose their licences. Hopefully, as a part of this, the insurance coverage hole my accident uncovered might be closed.
Within the meantime, till legal guidelines are handed extra folks might be injured and perhaps even killed. Whereas some journalists (reminiscent of Jim Waterson) have dug away at Lime’s failings, it’s unhappy to say that solely a horrific fatality may power the tempo of change that’s desperately wanted. However these aren’t dangers we ought to be taking with the security of Londoners. I’m a bike owner and pro-cycling, however till adequate laws are in place, I’m not satisfied rental e-bikes ought to be on our streets.
Comply with Nick Bowes on Bluesky.
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