Nic RigbyBBC Politics East
Paul Horwood
Paul Horwood and his wife Anna took pictures of electric bicycles in Colchester to highlight their concerns
A couple are calling for irresponsible e-bike users to be prosecuted for leaving them dumped on pavements.
Retired Paul Horwood, 76, and his wife Anna, 81, from Colchester, say they regularly see e-bikes left in the middle of paths, making pavements difficult to navigate for pedestrians and those with mobility issues.
Colchester City Council said it was working with the provider of the e-bikes to ensure that problem users were identified and action taken.
In July 2025 thr government introduced the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill – to allow councils to regulate on-street cycle rental schemes and take action against poor parking.
Paul Horwood is calling on councils to properly regulate e-bike firms over vehicles in the middle of paths
Horwood said he and his wife regularly saw electrical bicycles left in the middle of pathways, after the city council had been trying to get people to use other forms of transport rather than cars.
“This newest idea is good in theory but it seems a lot of the people using them are being irresponsible in the way they just abandon them with no consideration for others,” he said.
“As our population is getting older, people have to be more careful when walking on the pavements.
“You need to get the e-bike companies to make their customers aware that they need to leave the bike in a safe place out of the way.”
Paul Horwood
Colchester City Council said the e-bike firm monitors its bikes and scooters to help prevent the vehicles being abandoned on pavements
“The bikes are all tracked so they know who has been hiring them and they need to take action,” he added.
“There is no excuse for this dangerous practice and it needs to stop. What the councils need to do is to be more aware of the problem and the other problem is that a lot of people just ignore this.
“The general public is very good at just ignoring things.
“The government should take firm action even if it is against their own councils because that is where the buck stops.”
Nic Rigby/BBC
Horwood said the problem of electric scooters being left on paths was a regional issue. The BBC in Norwich photographed this one in the city centre
A spokesman for Colchester City Council said: “We understand concerns about anti-social parking and e-bikes blocking pavements and the impact this can have on pedestrians, particularly those with mobility challenges.
“The E-bike scheme in Colchester is operated by Dott, and all bikes are GPS-tracked.”
‘Genuine safety risk’
They added: “Dott actively manages the scheme on the ground every day through its local team, who swap batteries, move bikes, tidy parking areas, and respond to issues.
“However, with around 800 bikes in operation, they cannot be everywhere at once, so reports from the community are very important and welcomed.
“Residents who find e-bikes causing an obstruction should report them directly to Dott’s website. This ensures the operator can respond quickly and remove or reposition bikes where necessary.”
Dott has been contacted by the BBC.
A Department for Transport spokesman said: “We know that e-bikes blocking pavements are not just an inconvenience but a genuine safety risk, particularly to blind or partially sighted people, and those with limited mobility.
“That’s why we’re legislating to give local leaders the tools they need to regulate shared on-street cycle rental schemes and take decisive action against poor parking.”
