Forum Topic

Mobikes - Hounslow Council To Review The Scheme

I see from the front page story that Hounslow Council is to review the Mobikes Bike Scheme.I get that these bikes are really convenient to pick up and drop off anywhere but the vast majority of users seem completely unable to leave them is a sensible place.  Most of the ones I see "abandoned" are in bus stops, or perpendicular to the pavements or just lying around on the pavements.In my opinion the way they are left is just too dangerous for elderly or less able people, not to mention they are an eyesore on the streets.

Reg Ghosh ● 2615d33 Comments

One of the problems is surely the way that we treat bicycle parking now.  There isn't enough of it and the way that the Sheffield stands are often placed on the streets causes congestion and doesn't offer enough parking.  Maybe we should be looking at better parking for bicycles - at Liverpool Street station you would be simply amazed at the number of bicycles parked.Mobike users have been told not to use the Sheffield stands so that those are free for owner-user bicycle riders.  If there were more where they could leave these eg by bus stops or outside stations - would that make a difference?  Isn't part of the problem that riders don't know quite what to do with them?  They seem to be criticised whatever they do.  Scoring political points isn't a very helpful way to encourage everyone to reduce our air pollution, lower our CO2, change to a healthier lifestyle and reduce the traffic congestion.

Philippa Bond ● 2533d

Are you sure?  If the system is like that in Brentford then it is no different to the Santander docked scheme which I understand would cost the cash-strapped Council thousands.What was/is good about this scheme is that you don't have to worry about where the docking stations are.Perhaps they should be requested to re-think to allow more people a chance to try out riding a bike now that the weather appears to be getting a bit more Spring-like?Has anyone seen the Leader of Hounslow Council on a bike?  The Leader of Ealing Council cycles...

Philippa Bond ● 2541d

https://haveyoursay.hounslow.gov.uk/traffic-and-transport/dockless/

Reg Ghosh ● 2542d

The Lime Green electric bikes are based in Ealing.Iris in an earlier thread has explained why there is a problem with Mobikes which have not been collected after an amount of time and how to report them so that they can be collected.They are much cheaper than the Santander ones because they don't have the docking system but as Alex says that of course also means that they aren't quite as convenient.  From the data collected ie the journeys taken on them it should be possible to work out whereabouts it might be a good place to consider placing a docking station - if that was an option offered.

Philippa Bond ● 2547d

Can anyone cite an example of one person tripping over one of these bikes? Just one? People who argue against the scheme are those that don't use it. It's just Luddism hiding behind the blind grannies on rollerskates argument.

Mike Paterson ● 2549d

Anyone leaving a Mobike in say Brentford is liable to a fine!  But there are still a few bikes parked randomly around Brentford - there has been one near my house since before Christmas. Its a feature now!  You are allowed to ride into Brentford on a Mobike, but have to drop the bike back into an approved zone.  Stupid scheme imho now

Emma Renton ● 2550d

You are probably right but I can see a mobike parked in front of the Griffin Park in Braemar Road right now.And mobike parking in Chiswick I think has improved a bit.

Alex Shpinkov ● 2550d

Brentford is no longer in the Mobike scheme so no more Mobikes for us.  Thats why we arent seeing them allover the place these days!!!  Nor is Brentford in the limegreen bike scheme!!!

Emma Renton ● 2550d

I'd say mobike parking somewhat improved. It takes time to educate users. Docked bikes are more expensive for the council and less flexible for users.

Alex Shpinkov ● 2550d

Since it is so difficult to get users to be considerate about where they park their bikes (although I suspect that many consider any not tethered to be inconsiderately parked) perhaps it would be good to have more bikes with docking stations like the Santander ones.The problem is of course that those would cost the Council money and are obviously much more expensive.

Philippa Bond ● 2550d

The director of Mobikes was at the Chiswick Area Forum. Two things stuck out. Firstly he said that the designated area is the whole of Hounslow so no fines as long as the bike is left within Hounslow. Secondly the battery runs down and therefore they have no idea where it is, so it stays where it is until they get around to looking for it. Even when found and stickered the bikes are not necessarily picked up. So there is no disincentive to simply abandoning them.

Iris Hill ● 2550d

Can Hounslow Council give assurances to Mobike users that their personal data collected fby Mobike and being sent to China is safe? Did the Council inform residents that Mobike offered free bikes in exchange for harvesting  users  personal Data?

Philippa Auton ● 2550d

From Chiswick forumhttp://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=info&page=mobike08.htmHounslow Council make no money from the scheme.

Reg Ghosh ● 2552d

I suspect that since it is a trial they will be trying various ways of improving the way they work for people.  There are a lot of people using them.  I suspect that if it was warmer there might be even more.  If you couldn't see them around you wouldn't consider using them.

Philippa Bond ● 2588d

Very interesting.  The guidance states that there is a 72hour 'stagnation' threshold after which point they should be relocated back to a hub. I regularly see these bikes abandoned (mostly in completely appropriate places) and left there for an awful lot longer than 3 days?

Reg Ghosh ● 2588d

https://www.hounslow.gov.uk/info/20053/transport/1918/mobike_dockless_hire_bike_trialIt is interesting that they give the impression that they don't want Mobike cyclists to use the Sheffield stands which seem to me to be the logical place to stand a bike.  I have seen them standing beside the other bikes there (although they are often unused) quite neatly.  I suppose since they spend their time awaiting hire they may stay there longer and make it more difficult for those who really need to securely their bikes to something.

Philippa Bond ● 2588d

Its a shame about this new zoning, as I would consider using a bike occasionally, but not possible.  I live in North Brentford and generally would be biking around Ealing.  Grrrrr

Emma Renton ● 2591d

There is a penalty of I think £20 if they are left outside the designated area. Brentford West of approx Gunnersbury Park/Steam museum is now outside the zone

Guy Lambert ● 2591d

Also I am not sure that the bikes are 'allowed' in the Brentford area?  I think there is a fine if they are taken out of quite a restricted area, and Brentford is excluded.  I could be wrong, but that would explain why there arent SO many orange and green bikes lying all over the place.

Emma Renton ● 2591d

FixMyStreet will generate an alert to Customer Services at LBH but I'm not sure what they would do with the info. I suppose you could report an abandoned vehicle (or flytipping!) on Hounslow Highways but not sure what they would do either.If you let me know via PM or email where it is I can report it direct to Mobike as I have their app on my phone, or take it up with the LBH traffic team.

Guy Lambert ● 2591d

What is the correct way to report an inappropriately abandoned Mobike?  I've seen them reported on FixMyStreet - is that the best way to get them moved quickly?

Reg Ghosh ● 2591d

According to the app, the border runs from approx O'Riordan's pub on KBR more or less due north to the SW corner of Gunnersbury Park, then along the N side of the A4, across the cemetery (you're Ok if your loved one is in the Southernmost 10%) to the North Circular, then north up the NCR to the Ealing border.You get a £20 charge if you leave the bike outside the zone.

Guy Lambert ● 2611d

What do Mobikes count as the out of bounds border “west of Chiswick”?  The bikes are regularly outside Kew Bridge Station and the Fountain Leisure Centre both of which are in Brentford TW8?

Reg Ghosh ● 2611d

I've just returned from the George IV in Chiswick and there are plenty of Mobikes, for the most part neatly arranged, along the High Street. Somewhere on this thread somebody wrote that the bikes are no longer 'allowed' in Brentford - so that explains why I haven't seen any lately! When did this no-go area come into force and, equally, why?

Anne England ● 2612d

Mobikes are GPS tracked too so that's no panacea. I tried one once but despite being a regular cyclist I found it barely usable so never tried again.Hadn't heard of Lime bikes so thanks for mentioning - more here:http://www.cityam.com/270262/dockless-electric-bikes-you-can-park-anywhere-launch-londonAT £1 plus 15p a minute they don't sound very affordable. To get from Brentford to Isleworth or Chiswick would cost about £2.50. Whatever the cost, to make them attractive there would have to be plenty of them - not much point if it's a 10 minute walk to get to the nearest one - and plenty of them mean plenty of pavement obstruction if they are left the same  way as Mobikes are.

Guy Lambert ● 2612d

According to the BBC news this  morning - a lot of councils are really brassed off with Mobikes for all the reasons rehearsed on here. Brent and Ealing are on board with the Lime bikes which are electrically assisted, the thing with those is they are GPS tracked so the operators know where they are and of course they have to be maintained properly - maybe the way forward?

Vanessa Smith ● 2613d

There seems to be an excess of these bikes in Northfields - they were placed I guess about a week ago, quite neatly, but now they are strewn all over the place.  I dont think you can ride and then leave these bikes in Brentford, which at this point is only a couple of hundred yards away, so not a lot of point for many like myself!

Emma Renton ● 2614d

On September 4th Mobike updated the operating area and anything west of Chiswick was excluded. Any bikes left outside the operating area incur a £20 charge so it’s unlikely you will see many ‘dumped’ in Brentford.They are talking of expanding the area again when they have more bikes available and have already done so to include parts of Ealing. Hopefully they will come back to Brentford at some point as there now seems to be an excess of bikes in Chiswick.

Richard Williams ● 2614d

Let's hope that Mobike will fine the careless cyclists who leave them in dangerous spots and get them to be more considerate of those for whom all the street furniture and broken paving stones we already have are dangerous enough.  They are more obvious being orange and the wheels are extremely reflective in car headlights which is really good.  They also have integral lights unlike other cycles.  It would be good if non-Mobike cyclists were as good at wearing reflective clothing and reflectors on the spokes of their wheels or had reflective tyres.  They are giving a lot of people who wouldn't otherwise cycle a chance to do so. Maybe some of those who have now tried them will buy their own cycles.  They could also ask the Councils about cyclehoop lockable hangars which are being placed on roads and which will take six cycles in the space of one car parking space.

Philippa Bond ● 2614d

“Withdrawn from Brentford “ what does that mean; I regularly still see them dumped everywhere in Brentford?

Reg Ghosh ● 2614d

Richard,You may be one of the people who used these bikes responsibly ensuring that you didn't leave the blasted thing where some poor soul would go A over T. But Adam's right all these things are all right on the face of it but don't quite work out in practice, and the councils should be a bit more pro-active, they can jump on the ordinary bod soon enough for some supposed transgression, and the same should apply to a business that clutters our streets.

Vanessa Smith ● 2614d

Agree with Reg and Vanessa - as with many things the theory is fine, the practical reality is entirely different.Barely a day went by since the Mobike trial started when I didn't see one carelessly left somewhere, regardless of whether I was in Brentford or Chiswick.  And it always amuses me how in some ways Councils can be so pedantic about matters involving subjective judgements about whether something is an eyesore or not, yet sign up to a scheme that inevitably led to a plethora of orange bikes being dumped randomly all over the place.

Adam Beamish ● 2614d

Unfortunately they were withdrawn from Brentford and all areas further west at the beginning of September so they couldn’t have been creating much of a hazard or an eyesore. I think they’re a great idea and used them regularly when they were around.

Richard Williams ● 2614d

Oh yes! They are just dumped all over the shop, for those not too steady on their pins they must be a real hazard if the light isn't too good. No effort seems to be made to at least park them out of the way of other pedestrians.

Vanessa Smith ● 2615d