A NEW transport scheme encouraging people to use e-bikes around Colchester has been criticised after some of the new vehicles were found dumped in the middle of the road.

Colchester Council originally explored the new e-bikes scheme in February, and the plans came to fruition at the start of the month when 100 of the vehicles were introduced to the city’s roads by micromobility operators Tier.

The same company had rolled out e-scooters in 2020, with the latest e-bike scheme implemented in the hope the public would make use of the city’s new cycling infrastructure and move away from using the car as a form of travel.

Gazette: Rules – Sir Bob said the e-bikes were not being left in the correct locations by usersRules – Sir Bob said the e-bikes were not being left in the correct locations by users (Image: Sir Bob Russell)

But Colchester High Steward, Sir Bob Russell, has said the e-bikes are being used even less responsibly than e-scooters, which have come in for heavy criticism.

Sir Bob highlighted a lack of enforcement from Tier, the e-bike operators, and a lack of responsibility from users after he found the vehicles left in the middle of Catchpool Road on more than one occasion

The former Colchester MP said: "We have for some while had the menace of abandoned electric scooters dumped on pavements, and people riding them illegally on pavements.

"Now, we have the new menace of electric hire cycles where in many instances we are witnessing even worse behaviour than we have seen from users of electric scooters.

"There does not appear to be any supervision and enforcement – the operators of the bikes and scooters are not doing their job."

Gazette: Dumped – two bikes had been left along Catchpool Road, much to Sir Bob's displeasureDumped – two bikes had been left along Catchpool Road, much to Sir Bob's displeasure (Image: Sir Bob Russell)

The head of public policy at Tier, Jess Hall, countered Sir Bob’s criticism by saying rules about riding e-bikes are in fact well enforced, adding it is possible for riders to report poor parking.

She said: "We take poor parking by our users extremely seriously.

"Users are reminded to park considerately before each ride and must take a photograph at the end of their ride to prove they have parked well.

"Users who repeatedly park poorly can face fines or being banned from using our service [and members of the public] can message our customer care team in the Help and Safety section of the app or website."