The BleeperBikes were rolled out over the weekend in Dublin but have now been removed by Dublin City Council.
BleeperBikes removed from Dublin streets
Dublin City Council has removed BleeperBikes from the around the city after the new pay as you go scheme was launched without its consent.
The council late last week said it had become aware the bikes were about to be launched over the weekend.
It added if bikes began appearing they would be removed. And it warned people who used the unlicenced scheme they would be doing so at their own risk.
The council has now confirmed some bikes were removed in recent days from “many different locations” around the city.
“A lot of complaints have been received regarding the bikes as have requests for the bikes to be removed,” it said.
Advertisement
The council is due to meet with BleeperBike in coming days to discuss the unsanctioned roll-out of the scheme and the bikes being removed.
BleeperBikes do not have docking stations. They can be locked anywhere around Dublin where locking bicycles is permitted.
Users download an app which guides them to the nearest locked bike. And they pay electronically for each ride, via a credit top-up system.
Dublin City Council has insisted the scheme must wait, like all bike rental operators, for new bye-laws to be passed.
These laws would provide for new bike share systems, that will rival the Dublin Bike scheme, to operate legally within the city.
A licencing system would also apply under which operators looking to enter the market would pay a fee to the council. And the initial launch of any new scheme would only take place after a pilot project.
Related News
However, BleeperBike chief executive Hugh Cooney responded last Friday by saying the company could not wait for new bylaws and a new licencing system.
“There’s no dates as to when they will officially launch the pilot they spoke about,” he said.
“If I was to wait indefinitely, I give up the first-mover advantage that we’ve secured over the last nine months, being a local company, getting to the marketplace first.
“That’s invaluable to anybody – any business person would know that.”
The council issued a statement late last week firmly stating that any plans by BleeperBike to begin its initial launch, by rolling out several hundred bikes, would not be tolerated.
“This launch is occurring without the consent of Dublin City Council and in direct conflict with the approach agreed at the May meeting of Dublin City Council’s Transportation Strategic Policy Committee (SPC),” it said.
“It was decided at the May meeting of the Transportation SPC that Bye-Laws should be prepared and engagement with the market should take place with a view to running a pilot scheme in Dublin.”
The council added all parties interested in providing stationless bike rental schemes must be afforded the same opportunity to submit proposals for pilot projects.
It added it was also crucial the legal position around all areas of such schemes be finalised before operators were permitted to launch a fleet of bikes onto city streets.
Because BleeperBikes had launched without that work being done it had acted “prematurely”.
“The main issues to be addressed include managing the potential impacts of the scheme on the public realm,” the council added in a statement.
Attention must also be given to ensuring the bikes are fit for purpose and properly maintained and insured.
Adequate cycle parking capacity in city centre locations must also be examined as well as ensuring bikes were not abandoned at unsuitable locations.
The bikes removed to date were taken from the streets under Section 71 of the Roads Act 1993. It makes it illegal to place unlicensed items in the public footpath or roadway.
Topics
