The City Is Coming for Your Old, Rusty Bike

If you’ve got a falling-apart, cruddy old bike that’s been locked up outside your house since summer, you may want to take a gander at it before the end of the week. The city has identified “abandoned” bicycles throughout the city and has tagged them with a very official, very bright yellow and very aptly named “Abandoned Bicycle Removal Notice”, which comes complete with the City seal. According to the city, abandoned bicycles “are those with missing or damaged parts, that are in un-useable condition and that have been locked in the same location for one month or more.” Who knew that Philly was keeping such close tabs on old bikes?

Should you find a notice on your bike, remove the sticker and move the no longer abandoned bike to a bike rack.  You can also call 311 (or use the app!) for further assistance. Or, you can do nothing and the Streets Department will remove your bike and donate it to charity starting this Thursday. A similar sweep in June yielded 80 bikes. And if you’re thinking, “Why the heck would a charity want my old junker Schwinn?”, then you need to check out the good stuff that Neighborhood Bike Works has been doing for the last 16 years.