BEINSMARTSIDE UK ‘Strikelists’ use ‘cruel trick’ to bagsy Lime Bikes in scramble to get to work

‘Strikelists’ use ‘cruel trick’ to bagsy Lime Bikes in scramble to get to work

September 10, 2025September 10, 2025 | .. | 0 Comment | 5:02 am
‘Strikelists’ use ‘cruel trick’ to bagsy Lime Bikes in scramble to get to work post thumbnail image
London was brought to its knees today as a Tube strike forced thousands of commuters onto bikes, turning the capital?s streets into a snarl of wheels, horns and tempers.A video captured by our Hopper filming from his own bike, shows endless queues of cyclists crammed shoulder to shoulder, spilling across lanes and blocking traffic near Trafalgar Square. With the Underground shut down, roads became the only option, and chaos quickly followed.The strike, part of a long-running dispute over pay, pensions and working conditions, is just the latest in a string of walkouts paralysing the city. In 2023 alone, the Tube and rail network saw 25 days of strike action, costing the UK economy billions and leaving small businesses and commuters footing the bill. For delivery drivers, shopkeepers and office workers, every strike day is another dent in their livelihoods.As unions dig in and City Hall faces mounting pressure, weary Londoners are left asking: how many more days of this chaos before the capital buckles completely?This is the scene on London?s streets today ? thousands of cyclists crammed into the roads, horns blaring, tempers flaring, and traffic brought to a halt as yet another Tube strike grinds the capital to a standstill.For ordinary Londoners, the frustration is mounting. ?It?s like the whole city stops working,? one commuter told PressHop. ?I get why workers are striking, but the rest of us are paying the price every time.?
Cyclists on London’s roads during a week of Tube strikes (Picture: PressHop)

In a desperate battle to get to work during Tube strikes, some Londoners have sunk to new lows and are keeping Lime Bike pedals to make sure they can bagsy them in the morning.

As the London Underground strikes enter it’s third morning, commuters are now having to contend with bikes missing pedals on top of gridlocked traffic and packed trains.

One Reddit account said: ‘With the chaos of transport this week in London, I’m noticing a massive increase in Lime Bikes missing a pedal.

‘Are people taking these off, keeping them, and screwing them back on in the morning so they have a guaranteed bike to commute?’

One Londoner said: ‘Found five in a row this morning with no pedals. It has to be that?’

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This is not the only trick used to try and reserve an e-bike, with many people parking them in hedges and even living rooms to deter others from using them.

But it is possible to report deliberately hidden bikes on the app.

A Lime spokesperson said: ‘With more people relying on our bikes to move around the city during the tube strikes this week, journeys have increased significantly.

‘To make sure everyone can ride, bikes need to be left in good working order – removing pedals or tampering with them makes them unsafe and stops others from using them.

‘We’ve increased our on-street team to keep bikes available and in good condition. If you spot a damaged bike, please report it through the app so we can fix it quickly and get it back into service.’

For some Londoners this week marks the first time they have hopped on one of the city’s many e-bikes.

Lime said it has seen a 58% increase in demand for the e-bikes since the strike started.

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To get the latest news from the capital visit Metro’s London news hub.

Cyclists on Embankment in London yesterday.
Other users have been known to hide bikes in their homes (Picture: Ben Whitley/PA Wire)

The new cyclists have been dubbed ‘strikelists’ – the riders who only dust off the pedals, or hop on a Lime bike for the first time ever, when the city shuts down.

There have also been reports of riders jumping red lights, leaving some cyclists concerned for their safety.

Londoner Emily Shackleton told Metro there were ‘swarms of people’ on Lime bikes.

‘There was a lot of dodgy behaviour such as undertaking, people wearing headphones, I even saw someone talking on Facetime holding their phone out in front of them while speeding downhill,’ she said.

‘I lost count of the times I had to stop suddenly as someone cut in front in me and or suddenly swerved across me.

London was brought to its knees today as a Tube strike forced thousands of commuters onto bikes, turning the capital?s streets into a snarl of wheels, horns and tempers. A video captured by our Hopper filming from his own bike, shows endless queues of cyclists crammed shoulder to shoulder, spilling across lanes and blocking traffic near Trafalgar Square. With the Underground shut down, roads became the only option, and chaos quickly followed. The strike, part of a long-running dispute over pay, pensions and working conditions, is just the latest in a string of walkouts paralysing the city. In 2023 alone, the Tube and rail network saw 25 days of strike action, costing the UK economy billions and leaving small businesses and commuters footing the bill. For delivery drivers, shopkeepers and office workers, every strike day is another dent in their livelihoods. As unions dig in and City Hall faces mounting pressure, weary Londoners are left asking: how many more days of this chaos before the capital buckles completely?This is the scene on London?s streets today ? thousands of cyclists crammed into the roads, horns blaring, tempers flaring, and traffic brought to a halt as yet another Tube strike grinds the capital to a standstill. For ordinary Londoners, the frustration is mounting. ?It?s like the whole city stops working,? one commuter told PressHop. ?I get why workers are striking, but the rest of us are paying the price every time.?
There have also been reports of riders jumping red lights, leaving some cyclists concerned for their safety (Picture: PressHop)

‘While it’s great to see people taking up cycling as a commuting alternative especially on strike days, lack of care and basic knowledge of road safety as well as the increased numbers on the road made a usually simple commute feel incredibly unsafe.’

London was brought to a standstill on Monday and Tuesday, and the Elizabeth line and buses were overwhelmed when the members of the RMT union started their strike action on the Tube.

Commuters reported crowding on the Elizabeth line, which remains open, busy taxis and Ubers being unavailable, plus gridlocked roads.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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