In Parliamentary questions and a personal letter to the Transport Minister, Mr Zeichner urged the Government to move swiftly to give local Councils the powers needed to respond to the new situation, and set up a bike-parking licensing scheme. In response, the Minister merely says they will be ‘monitoring’ the situation.
Mr Zeichner says that’s not good enough: “The Government is leaving local councils, and local people powerless against companies with deep pockets but little understanding of how our communities work. Instead of just watching, the Government should be moving swiftly to give Councils the powers to protect us. Bike-sharing schemes could be a great success, but not if they get off to a chaotic start – we need action to make sure it works for everyone.”
The Department for Transport has provided the following answer to your written parliamentary question (69722):
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to require dockless bike sharing companies to be licensed. (69722)
Tabled on: 29 March 2017
This question was grouped with the following question(s) for answer:
1. To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to regulate dockless bike sharing schemes. (69723) Tabled on: 29 March 2017
Answer: Andrew Jones:
As this type of bicycle sharing scheme is a relatively new concept in the UK the Department for Transport does not currently have a policy on the regulation or licensing of dockless bicycle sharing companies. However, shared bicycles are subject to the same legal requirements and byelaws that already exist regarding bicycle standards and parking. The potential growth of this style of scheme means that this is an area that the Department is monitoring with interest.
The answer was submitted on 20 Apr 2017 at 15:46.