Lime bike rider critically injured in Park Lane hit and run

Admin

March 26, 2025
4 min read

Lime bike rider critically injured in Park Lane hit and run

A Lime bike rider has been left with life-changing injuries following a hit-and-run collision on Park Lane in Mayfair on the evening of 23rd March. The incident, which occurred at around 9.15pm near the junction with Upper Brook Street, has prompted renewed concern over the safety of cyclists navigating some of London’s busiest roads.

The 21-year-old man, who was riding a Lime e-bike at the time, was struck by a car that failed to stop at the scene. Emergency services, including a trauma doctor from London’s Air Ambulance, responded rapidly, with the cyclist taken to a major trauma centre. According to the Metropolitan Police, he remains in a critical but stable condition.

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The case has highlighted growing anxieties around the safety of rental e-bike riders in London. With nearly 630,000 dockless e-bike journeys made each month in and around Westminster alone, the popularity of schemes such as Lime and Forest continues to rise. However, alongside this growth, so too have concerns about rider vulnerability, especially on routes where segregation between cyclists and cars is inconsistent.

There is a cycle lane on Park Lane, but it only runs alongside the northbound side of the carriageway. The collision took place on the southbound side, which does not have a protected cycling lane. This is not the first time the issue has made headlines. In May 2023, a Lime rider was killed on Charlotte Street after a collision with a turning lorry. And last year, two Forest e-bike riders, Cheistha Kochhar and Dean Jones, died in separate incidents in Clerkenwell and Putney respectively.

While Transport for London has invested heavily in cycling infrastructure, incidents like this raise questions about whether key routes, particularly in central areas such as Mayfair, are still falling short. A recent protest in Stratford, sparked by the death of a cyclist in his 20s believed to have been hit by a left-turning HGV, called for faster safety interventions by TfL and Newham Council. Campaigners say that protected junctions and clearly segregated lanes are essential to reduce fatalities.

The Met Police have launched an investigation and are urging witnesses or anyone with dashcam or phone footage to come forward. A cordon remained in place on the southbound carriageway into Monday morning. Officers are working to track down the driver who fled the scene, and the force has appealed to the public for information using reference CAD 6466/23Mar via 101 or @MetCC on X.

While cycling in London has become part of everyday life, especially with the convenience of e-bikes, this incident is another reminder of how rapidly things can go wrong in environments where infrastructure isn’t keeping pace with demand. Lime and Forest have not yet issued a public statement, though the companies have previously committed to rider safety through training initiatives and app-based guidance.

For more updates on cycling safety and urban transport developments in the capital, visit EyeOnLondon Westminster. We’d love to hear your views in the comments.

[Image Credit: London Ambulance Service NHS]