Mosman Council can’t stop Lime — but they can lay down rules

Lime e-bikes are coming to Mosman whether the council likes it or not, but councillors are pushing for tight restrictions before the green bikes hit the streets.

What happened: Prior to its June meeting, Mosman council was approached by Neutron Holdings, Inc., also known as Lime, with a proposal to operate its e-bikes within Mosman.

• Previously, operators like Lime would need to seek approval from councils to operate in their LGA. However, legislation passed in the NSW Parliament last year means local councils no longer have the ability to prohibit state-approved shared e-bike operators — such as Lime — in their area. 

• Councils are, however, still able to set conditions, specify parking arrangements and designate no-go zones. 

Not impressed: Many councillors were unenthused about the introduction of Lime bikes to Mosman. They saw the change as increasing the workload of council in terms of policing and maintenance. 

“I will confess that the only people I’ve seen riding these things are drunks and tourists,” Councillor Colleen Godsell said. “I don’t see a lot of locals using them”. 

“I think this is going to go wrong from the very beginning”, said Councillor Roy Bendall.

“Our suburb is beautiful. I don’t want Lime bikes running around the place”. 

Restrictions: Mosman Council wants to have a say in where bikes are allowed to be parked, and to set restricted areas within the LGA. In North Sydney, for example, parks and much of the harbour foreshore are restricted for riding or parking. 

The council also wants the roll-out to come with a clear public feedback mechanism, and regular reporting from Lime on complaints and response times.

What now? Lime has proposed a “soft launch” approach to Mosman, where bikes in neighbouring areas are allowed to ride in and out of Mosman, before a dedicated fleet is deployed to the area. 

• Currently, the only neighbouring council area where Lime bikes are permitted is North Sydney Council.

How? Lime bike limits are managed via geofencing technology. 

• Using the Lime app will show users which areas are no-go zones. 

• Entering these areas will cause the bike to slowly come to a halt, after which the user must walk it out of the zone to resume their ride.