Merri-bek is planning to introduce a shared e-bike scheme, probably early in the new year. On August 13, Merri-bek Councillors were presented with the findings of community consultation on e-bike parking. They also heard from residents concerned about footpath accessibility. Merri-bek Councillors then resolved that shared e-bikes must be parked on the road and not on the footpath, and that the private operators must pay for the parking bays. In doing so, Councillors amended the officer recommendations to take a strong stand on accessibility concerns.

Problems with shared e-bikes and e-scooters blocking footpaths have plagued other Council areas and have led to a backlash. Yarra Council has even been taken to VCAT by a disability advocate due to footpath access being obstructed by shared devices.

Climate Action Merri-bek support shared e-bikes AND accessible footpaths. (Note that Merri-bek Council has ruled out shared e-scooters for the time being.) CAM has written extensively on this topic in blog posts here and here. So we are pleased that Merri-bek Councillors have shown leadership by properly addressing the parking problem.

At the August Council meeting, Councillors received an update including results of the community consultation on parking arrangements for shared e-bikes. A majority of respondents supported the introduction of shared e-bikes and a majority opposed shared e-scooters. Over 80% of respondents supported mandatory parking arrangements. Respondents could also answer an open-ended question. The results revealed that footpath access was the main concern.

Other Councils have been relying on virtual parking pins. These are visible only on an app. They rely on GPS, which is accurate to within several meters. These are still leading to issues with poor parking. Note that Yarra also has a few on-footpath parking bays.

Figures (below) supplied by Lime, one of the operators, on parking compliance show the levels of poor parking. They were measured by Lime’s AI end-of-trip photo analysis technology.

City of Port Phillip:
Bikes: 86% good parking, 14% bad parking
Scooters: 84% good parking, 16% bad parking

City of Melbourne Bikes: 88% good parking, 12% bad parking
Yarra Bikes: 88% good parking, 12% bad parking
Stonnington Bikes: 87% good parking, 13% bad parking

Yarra parking:
Compliance Rate Overall: 87% good parking, 13% bad parking
Compliance Rate at Physical Bays: 92% good parking, 8% bad parking

In Merri-bek, Council officers had proposed that three types of designated parking be used for shared e-bikes:

• On-street parking bays (i.e. using road space)
• On-footpath parking bays (painted bays on wide footpaths)
• Virtual parking pins, visible only on an app.

However, Merri-bek Councillors did not agree. They resolved that “All shared e-bike parking bays to be installed on the road and none on footpaths”. They ruled out virtual parking pins, except for “temporary or short-term parking uses” (typically for events).

The Final wording of the Resolution (Which was passed unanimously)

That Council:

1. Notes the results of community engagement related to a shared e-bike scheme, including that the biggest issue of concern was about footpath access.
2. Delegates authority to the CEO to finalise and sign a multi-council Memorandum of Understanding for selecting shared e-bike operator(s).
3. Notes that virtual parking pins have a low accuracy and should not be considered for Merri-bek, except for temporary or short-term parking uses. All shared e-bike parking bays to be installed on the road and none on footpaths.
4. Receives a report for a decision to allow a shared scheme in Merri‑bek once the outcome of the joint procurement proceedings is known.
5. Notes that any agreement with shared e-bike operators be predicated on the private e-bike operator agreeing to fully fund the installation of parking bays.

Merri-bek officers are working with representatives from the Cities of Port Phillip, Melbourne, Yarra, Darebin and Stonnington to draft the joint procurement and contract documents, with the understanding that each Council can set certain conditions.