Published: 20:40 EDT, 21 April 2025 | Updated: 05:50 EDT, 22 April 2025
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As John McEnroe would no doubt attest, Wimbledon has known its share of bad line calls down the years. Few, though, have disturbed the tranquility of the south-west London suburb quite like the local council's decision to replace precious street parking with dedicated e-bike bays.
With residents struggling to park on streets in the area even before the phased installation of 350 planned rental bike spots, the mere sight of broken white lines accompanied by the words 'cycle hire only' is enough to send some locals into apoplexy.
The initiative by Labour-run Merton council is part of a wider scheme by Sadiq Khan, the London mayor, to tackle the problem of poorly parked or abandoned e-bikes being left on pavements, where they can be a safety hazard for disabled people or parents pushing buggies.
While that might seem a laudable ambition in principle, Merton has yet to forge an agreement with rental companies operating in the borough, meaning e-bike users are under no obligation to use the newly created spaces.
As a result, e-cycles often remain strewn about the streets, while the bays designed to accommodate them stand empty.
Nahian Khan, a resident of densely populated Abbott Avenue, the site of one of approximately 220 e-bike bays introduced so far across Merton, says the initiative has placed added pressure on parking in areas where competition for spaces was already fierce.
'Even before the e-bike bay was introduced, it was often difficult to find a spot near home, especially in the evenings or on weekends,' said Khan, who has started a petition demanding Merton reconsider the introduction of bays.
'Many of us have spent far too long circling nearby streets or parking a good distance away.
Sally Gibbons, the chair of a Wimbledon residents' association, has raised safety concerns about e-bikes left on her road, but says dedicated spaces will only work if backed by legislation
The introduction of an e-bike bay on Abbott Avenue in Wimbledon, south-west London, has caused consternation among many residents, some of whom claim they were not consulted
As things stand, the introduction of a rental bike parking bay on Gibbons' street has had little impact, with users continuing to leave cycles parked anywhere but in the designated spaces
'The removal of even one space, especially without warning, has a ripple effect. It's not just a single car space gone: it's added stress, competition, and tension for already limited parking. For people with mobility issues, young children, or those working shifts, it makes life harder.
'Many of us depend on our cars - they're not just a luxury, they're essential to how we live.'
A perceived lack of discussion around the process has only deepened local frustration. While Merton council says every bay is subject to a statutory consultation 'advertised at the locations, as well as online, and in local newspapers', many residents complain the spaces have simply been foisted upon them.
'There's genuine frustration,' added Khan. 'The neighbours here are civil and community-minded, but many have been vocal in their alignment: we weren't in favour of this move.
'The biggest issue is the total lack of consultation. We only found out about the e-bike bay after it had been installed. No letters, no leaflets, no notices. It feels like something was done to us, not with us - and that's what stings most.'
Merton council, however, insists that consultations have taken place, with the location of bays informed by data and guidance from Transport for London, local knowledge, observed evidence of use, and information from neighbouring boroughs and councils.
'Every bay that is on the road is subject to a statutory consultation,' said a spokesperson for the council. 'These are advertised at the locations, as well as online, and in local newspapers.
'While these consultations are not votes, we will review plans where respondents identify serious shortcomings to any particular bay - indeed, a number of proposed bays have been withdrawn or adjusted as a result of feedback.'
Anthony Fairclough, a Liberal Democrat councillor, has accused Labour-run Merton council of 'putting the cart before the horse' by installing e-bike bays before negotiating with cycle firms
Discarded rental e-bikes and scooters have become a common sight across the capital, making the city a minefield for disabled people and those pushing children in buggies
Wimbledon resident Sally Gibbons says e-cyclists give little thought to what happens 'if you come across 32 kilos of locked bike on the pavement and have a wheelchair or a baby buggy'
The project is not cheap. The council estimates the total cost will come in at £140,000, a figure that covers consultation, staff and implementation (including posts, signs and road markings).
Previous documents published by the council put the cost of two bays at £2,630 - a figure that would put the total price of 350 at £463,750.
Funding will come from the 2025/26 Transport for London micromobility programme, which aims to reduce the use of privately owned cars by enabling more people to cycle and use electric bikes and scooters.
But many locals are more worried about the impact of the scheme than any dent in the civic coffers.
Within a short walk of Abbott Avenue lies Wimbledon Chase station, where the positioning of a cycle bay on Oxford Avenue, a cul-de-sac adjacent to the London-to-Sutton railway line, has proved similarly contentious.
'It appeared recently and has taken away a valuable parking space,' said one Oxford Avenue resident, who asked not to be named. 'It's a blight on the street.'
'I've only seen one bike left actually in the bay - others have just been scattered on the pavement nearby.'
For Sally Gibbons, who chairs the Edge Hill Area Residents' Association, that is the nub of the problem. While she welcomes the introduction of dedicated cycle parking on safety grounds, and feels e-bikes are 'a perfect concept in a city', Gibbons' initial enthusiasm for the initiative has been tempered by the failure of e-cyclists to use the spaces.
With three schools within 100 metres of one another, parking is scarce on this Wimbledon road and traffic frequently chaotic - yet the local council has installed two e-bike parking bays
School buses and delivery trucks only add to the frequent scenes of bedlam on Edge Hill
Heavy traffic on this Wimbledon street during the school run is compounded by the presence of an ice cream van
'I think the bays are a good thing but, until the law is changed to make it mandatory for them to be used, we're bashing our heads against a brick wall,' said Gibbons, who has previously warned of the dangers discarded bikes pose to pedestrians.
'When they first went in, they were absolutely empty. Gradually, people started to use them and I do sometimes now see a day with up to eight bikes in them. But I also see bays with bikes parked on the pavement beside them.
'I don't have a car, and my husband is a little wobbly on his legs these days and cannot negotiate strange objects left in the middle of the pavement - and a lot of people are much worse off than him.
'If you come across 32 kilos of locked bike parked across the pavement, and you happen to have a wheelchair or a baby buggy, people just don't think [about the hazards].'
Few areas feel the problem more keenly than Edge Hill, where one of two e-bike bays has been installed on a stretch of road where three schools lie within less than 100 metres of one another.
With school-run traffic chaotic at the best of times, the move to accommodate cyclists has only added to the bedlam, with every morning a cacophony of beeping horns, angry exchanges with residents and muttered expletives.
'Drop-off on Edge Hill in the morning is bananas,' said Kathryn, 43, whose son attends one of the schools. 'Most days someone is misbehaving on the road.
'Blocking residential driveways is standard; there are illegal U-turns on the already tight road, and cars are having to mount the pavement as children are walking to school, to make room for vehicles passing in the opposite direction.
Traffic stretches back as far as the eye can see on this Wimbledon street. 'We do early drop-off to avoid the chaos,' said local resident Kathryn
'The council replaced a much needed parking space for the Lime bikes. That made no sense: the road is already short on safe parking spaces. We do early drop-off to avoid the chaos.'
Kathryn's feelings are mirrored by residents who do not have access to off-street parking, many of whom complain of being unable to use their cars during the day because spaces are instantly snapped up the moment they leave.
'I think there is a war on cars,' said Liz, 45. 'There should be a better way to enable bike parking than taking away a valuable car parking space.
'It's astounding how all the teachers, Monday to Friday, seem to drive to school. They all park on Edge Hill and every space is taken.
'If you're a resident and you don't have a drive, and you dare to leave, you come back and there's nowhere to park. The e-bike space just makes that even harder.
'I think this is a significant change: it impacts people who have cars and need to park more than it benefits people who ride the bikes.
'Some of the riders are very inconsiderate, and the removal of a car parking space to put in an e-bike space has not changed their behaviour.
'They still leave them in stupid places, so that implies it's not working for the majority of people who ride the bikes.'
As Sadiq Khan's initiative gathers pace, the problem is likely to be replicated across many London boroughs, highlighting the need for councils to strike a deal with cycle companies obliging e-bike users to park only in designated areas.
Anthony Fairclough, a Liberal Democrat councillor for Merton, has accused the Labour-run council of 'putting the cart before the horse' by installing the bays before negotiating with bike firms.
Gibbons points out that technology exists that would oblige e-cyclists to start and finish their journeys only in designated areas; all that is missing is the legal framework required for enforcement.
'Sadly, we are not good at keeping up with the legal, fiscal and local infrastructure needed to go with the technological rate of change that we are seeing at the moment,' said Gibbons.
'Local councils need to be able to provide parking bays for e-bikes. E-bike riders need to be legally required to use these bays.
'Until the government amends the law to include bikes in the parking and road use regulations, enforcement of this requirement is not possible. It is a totally frustrating situation from all angles.'
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