A woman living in Battersea has described the assignment of her road as an eMoped parking area as “inconsiderate” as they take up “much-needed” parking spaces.

HumanForest, a company which rents eMopeds to business users, deployed the vehicles on Barnard Road in Battersea at the end of July.

Riders that rent these electric mopeds must park in one of these designated Green Zone - and car parking spaces on Barnard Road have been assigned as one of these areas.

Abi, who has been Battersea resident for 10 years, felt that the introduction of the mopeds was “unfair” on residents paying for parking permits.

She says that nobody living on the street was consulted about the mopeds being installed.

Abi told the Wandsworth Times: “My family pays the council a lot of money every year for a parking permit and so I just don’t think it’s fair that a company like Human Forest can come along and basically set up shop in the parking bays on our road without warning, and without having to pay.

“The e-mopeds take up a lot of space and when I contacted Human Forest they told me to take it or leave it, because the council guidelines say they can do this.

“I think residents should have been consulted.

“There’s lots of different ways this could have been managed, but they’re ignoring how this is impacting the community and that’s really inconsiderate.

“Human Forest have not cooperated with this community.

“Their e-mopeds are congesting much needed parking bays across the borough, which many residents pay high annual fees to use.

“Sadly there is nothing we residents can do about it.”

A spokesperson for Wandsworth Council explained that it was also not consulted on the deployment of the mopeds by HumanForest and that “it is important that these companies do not make unilateral decisions without speaking to us.”

Abi says that she has counted a total of eight mopeds parked horizontally over two car parking spaces on the street.

She feels that there should have been a consultation process before the initiative was introduced, and that a solution with less of a negative impact on the community could have been found.

A HumanForest spokesperson has said that these vehicles were parked in regular on-street parking, which is legal under the bylaws surrounding motorcycles.

They claim that have a right to park without a permit in permit holder parking in the boroughs of Wandsworth and Hammersmith and Fulham.

A representative of HumanForest explained that riders must follow the Highway Code and hold either a CBT (compulsory basic training) or licence and that they are also liable for any penalties or charges incurred during the rental.

Compulsory basic training (CBT) is a course you must take before you ride a moped or motorcycle on the road.

Abi added: “I do sympathise with moped delivery drivers.

“They work for low wages and need economical options for transportation.

“But if Human Forest make these e-mopeds exclusively for business use, they are of little value to residents.”

A spokesperson for Wandsworth Council said: “This company has deployed these e-bikes without any consultation or discussion with the council.

“While we recognise the benefits this form of travel may offer to residents it is important that these companies do not make unilateral decisions without speaking to us so that these situations can be avoided and their usage managed in a way that does not cause inconvenience.”

A spokesperson for HumanForest mopeds said: “Integrating sustainable travel safely into communities is a priority for HumanForest and we are committed to ensuring that our service works for both residents and users.”