A PILED mess of dockless bikes in the city centre has sparked a fresh debate on whether Oxford’s newest transport system is working properly.

Images showing eight bikes stacked in a haphazard pile two-high in Blue Boar Street were shared online on Monday prompting criticism of the free-floating bike scheme on social media.

Many recognise both the health and environmental benefits to the scheme, however, the hire firms have previously been urged to take more responsibility after accusations that bikes left on the city’s pavements were becoming a hazard for pedestrians, especially the visually impaired.

The latest example comes after Daniel Stafford, who works in the city, noticed the unsightly and potentially hazardous pile of bikes from operator Mobike on Monday morning and posted the image on Twitter.

The 32-year-old from Littlemore said: “I’ve seen the odd bike left here and there but the way they were stacked up – one on top of the other - really caught my eye.

“There was a few bikes blocking the bike racks further up too.

“It’s a pity because I think it’s a great way to get more people around the city but it would be nice if we could get on top of them being left all over the place.”

In response to Mr Stafford’s image, Twitter user Hilary Coyne-Barr wrote: “These are driving me mad as I go round Oxford with a baby buggy.

“They are left dumped in the middle of pavements and I have to keep going into the road.”

While Oxfordshire County Councillor Liam Walker labelled the number of bikes ‘strewn across the city’ as ‘crazy’.

Oxford Mail:

The number of dockless bikes has surged in recent months with the city hosting around 1,300 of the brightly-coloured cycles as of April.

There are currently three operators in Oxford Mobike, Ofo, and Pony Bike.

Oxford Mail:

The short-term bike hire revolution has been welcomed by cycle groups and campaigners across the city as a way of encouraging people to take up cycling.

There is currently no legislation regarding dockless bikes, however, all of the firms have signed up to a voluntary code of conduct with Oxfordshire County Council which states the operator must ensure that bicycles used in the scheme are not left in areas where they are an ‘obstacle or nuisance’.

In May it was revealed the firms were also working with landowners to create parking hubs for the bikes to control the problem.

Oxford Mail:

Oxford City Council’s executive member for Healthy Oxford, Louise Upton, said the council broadly supported dockless bikes as part of the solution to congestion, pollution and lack of physical activity.

However, she added: “Clearly in this case the bikes have been irresponsibly discarded, and I will be discussing the ways we can tackle this with Mobike at our next meeting.

“All three dockless bike companies operating in Oxford employ staff to manage and redistribute their bikes, and they are usually quick to respond. If you see a dockless bike inappropriately discarded in Oxford, please send the company a quick message on Twitter or email to let them know.”

Mobike did not respond to the Oxford Mail’s request for a comment, however did respond to Mr Stafford’s Tweet saying the retrieval team would be collecting the bikes ‘as soon as possible’.