Lime – the world’s largest provider of shared electric bikes and scooters – has launched a mind-bending illusion that forces Brits to re-imagine how urban space could be used if there were fewer parked cars, and instead encouraged greener streets.

Designed by 3D street art pioneers 3D Joe and Max, the art installation sees a non-ULEZ compliant 2007 Peugeot Boxer van with over 150,000 miles on the clock, magically transform into lush green space and bike parking as viewers walk past.

With on-street car parking in London allocated the same amount of space as 10 Hyde Parks*, the striking optical illusion forces passers-by to reimagine how we allocate and prioritise urban space in ways that could support London’s climate goals. It is available to view in Camden between 29th-30th May.

Lime launched the art installation to bring to life the recommendations of a new independent report written by independent transport consultancy, Steer and supported by leading think-tank, Centre for London: ‘Changing Spaces: How to solve London’s shared e-bike parking’.

It found almost half (49%) of Londoners aged 18-34 say they use a rental e-bike at least once a week, and over half (52%) support more designated parking spaces for bikes as demand for green transport grows. It is supported by Lime data that shows an inner London borough like Camden now records approximately 200,000 Lime rides per month.

Despite this growth in demand, the report also reveals that an estimated 30,000 emission-free journeys are missed in the city every day – or 10 million every year- as demand outweighs the space available for bike parking.

By comparison, London’s on-street car parking takes up space equivalent to 10 Hyde Parks, while 25% of London’s carbon emissions come from transport, and half of the city’s air pollution comes from road traffic, according to Centre for London. Polling for the report found that almost 1 in 3 London drivers (29%) leave their cars parked in public on-street locations when not in use, and more than a third (35%) use their vehicles for journeys better suited to green and active travel, under 1 mile.

The report recommends reallocating some of this space to cycle parking to help reduce car dominance and encourage greener travel, while ensuring London’s streets are tidy and free from pavement obstructions.

Hal Stevenson, Director of Policy for UK&I at Lime, said: “Demand for cycling, including Lime e-bikes, has skyrocketed in the last year, with more people opting for emission-free travel. This growth has come with unintended challenges, and it’s become clear that lack of parking is leading to overcrowded areas that can become obstructive for pedestrians. The report by Steer and Centre for London makes a number of clear recommendations to address this, which Lime is committed to taking.

“Our collaboration with 3D Joe & Max aims to bring these recommendations to life, and inspire a healthier use for London’s parking spaces, where cars often sit idle for days. We’re encouraging people to reimagine how public space could be used and to take action to make our streets better for people and the planet. As green, shared transport flourishes, we need to redesign our streets in ways that further encourage this adoption, and disincentive car usage, to meet London’s ambitious climate targets.”

Joe Hill, artist at 3D Joe and Max, said: “For our partnership with Lime, we want to showcase just how much space in our capital is wasted. We reimagined the way our city streets could look in a way that is greener and more cycle-friendly by taking an old van, and used it as a creative canvas to inspire change for more sustainable travel.”

The solutions for e-bike parking challenges outlined in the new report by Steer and Centre for London include the identification of over 750+ new potential parking locations – as well as recommendations to introduce standardised parking terminology, and establishing two different parking “zones” and rules for more-central and less-central London boroughs.

The ‘Changing Spaces’ art installation is available for the public to view in Camden between 29th-30th May at 17 Hawley Crescent in Camden from 10.30am – 5.00pm.