Bedford Park Society opposes Ealing’s proposed e-bike bay near St Michael & All Angels Church

Proposed new bay location on Woodstock Road

The Bedford Park Society is calling on Ealing Council to scrap plans for a new e-bike parking bay on Woodstock Road, arguing it would be too close to an existing bay and cause further disruption to residents near Turnham Green station

Ealing ran a consultation, which closed on 25 February, on a proposed double-space bay at the top of Woodstock Road, just a few metres from a bay already operated by Hounslow on Priory Avenue beside St Michael and All Angels Church.

Because Lime is not a permitted operator in Hounslow, its bikes cannot legally be parked in the existing bay, prompting Ealing to seek a separate location on its side of the border.

The new bay follows the build-up of Lime bikes at the borough boundary that the Chiswick Calendar reported on in November, when Cllr Andrew Steed documented around 130 bikes accumulating at Turnham Green station at weekends after Hounslow excluded Lime from operating in the borough last August.

Ealing officers told Cllr Steed at the time that they were “reviewing potential marked bay locations in proximity to Turnham Green Station for our next batch of bays in 2026.”

READ ALSO: Bedford Park swamped with Lime bikes

The area around Turnham Green station has become an increasingly congested flashpoint for e-bike dumping. Forest’s ejection from Ealing at the end of February left Voi as the only operator whose bikes can cross the Hounslow-Ealing border, and bikes from operators whose geofences cut out at the boundary continue to pile up in the area.

READ ALSO: Chiswick down to just one cross-borough E-Bike operator

Lime bikes on Priory Avenue

The Society says the proposed location raises several concerns. Pedestrians already struggle to navigate the congested area around the church, and young children enter and exit St Michael’s Church Hall, which sits next to the bays, several times a day.

Residents of Sydney House, a block of flats adjacent to the proposed bay, have raised concerns about noise from late-night bike hire and collections at unsocial hours, as well as the impact on disabled parking spaces already designated for the building.

The Society also argues that a second bay so close to the existing one would further affect views of the Grade II* listed Norman Shaw church and the entrance to the Bedford Park Conservation Area.

Chair Helen Jameson said the Society supports efforts to encourage cycling but does not believe this bay is the right solution. “We are very supportive of efforts to encourage cycling, but this new bay is not the answer to the problem if additional space for cyclists using Turnham Green station is needed,” she said. “Worried residents contacted us voicing numerous concerns, many of which highlighted safety, noise and disturbance.”

The Society says it has been working with ward councillors from both Ealing and Hounslow to find an alternative.

The Society is proposing two alternatives. The first is to create more space for bike parking on Acton Green opposite the tube station, where it says there is unused space near the railway embankment.

The second is for Hounslow to renegotiate the terms of its contracts with Voi and Forest so that Lime bikes can be parked in the existing Priory Avenue bay, something Hounslow currently says is not permitted under those agreements.

Cllr Steed has been quoted by the Society as saying he is still waiting to see evidence that there is demand for additional capacity near the station.

Although the consultation has closed, the Society is encouraging anyone with concerns to email trafficnotices@ealing.gov.uk.

Read more stories on The Chiswick Calendar