Timothée Chalamet ‘forced to pay £65 penalty’ for e-bike parking mishap at Bob Dylan film premiere
Timothée Chalamet claims he has been slapped with a hefty fine for failing to park an e-bike correctly in London sparking outrage at the problems the green transport models continue to cause.
The actor said he was issued a £65 fine by e-bike provider Lime after he failed to park the bike correctly in a designated area at the premiere of the Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown.
Speaking to Yann Romain Barthès, host of French chat show Quotidien, the actor explained that he chose to arrive on an e-bike to due the heavy traffic in the lead-up to the premiere location by the River Thames at the BFI Southbank.
Worried about being late to the event, Chalamet said he instead chose to take a Lime bike for quicker convenience, unaware it would result in a fine.
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He told the French television show Quotidien: “I got a £65 fine and actually it was horrible because it was actually kind of an advert for them.”
At the premiere, Chalamet was seen cycling down the red carpet before stepping off to park and making the payment via the Lime app.
Commenting on the incident, Ben Mercer, marketing director at Leisure Lakes Bikes said: “Lime bikes are dockless and whilst that gives riders [the] flexibility to park their bikes close to home or their workplace, it’s frustrating that we’re seeing regular issues surrounding bad bike parking and abandoned bikes.
“With some councils close to banning Lime bikes following mounting complaints relating to bikes obstructing the streets for pedestrians and concerns for safety, it’s clear that more action needs to be taken.”
E-bikes have become a growing nuisance for drivers and pedestrians in London with many unhappy with them being parked on pavements.
Following complaints about poorly parked bikes, Brent Council threatened a complete ban on the electric vehicles in the borough unless something was done.
In October last year, Lime agreed to invest hundreds of thousands of pounds in the creation of designated e-bike parking bays across Brent in order to address safety concerns as well as keep its licence.
Under the new plan, Lime said it would introduce and fund the creation of 200 new parking bays which will be added before July 1, 2025.
Mercer added: “It’s a huge positive that more people are opting to rent electric bikes to make their daily journeys, and we want that to continue.
“Rented e-bikes are a fun and easy way to get around and they have great potential to reduce vehicle traffic on our roads, as well as helping to lower pollution levels across our towns and cities.
“Of course, much responsibility lies with Lime bike riders too. Like, Timothée Chalamet, who may be more used to riding worms than a Lime bike, riders need to give more thought to where they’re parking their bike at the end of their journeys.”
Under Lime bike rules, riders who fail to park according to the rules can receive a warning from the company. But if found to be continually parking incorrectly, they could be hit with a parking charge.
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Charges for poor parking can result in a fine of up to £20 starting from £2 Lime detailed, with repeat offenders risking being banned from the service altogether. In relation to the Timothée Chalamet parking fine, Lime remain uncertain how the actor was issued with a £65 penalty charge.