Abandoned Bikes Project

by Pio Tsai 
3a72b889-10bc-47fb-9354-c8a8e85a6a57I’ve been the head mechanic of NYU Bike Share for the past two years and in that time, I have worked with Recycle-A-Bicycle. They are an awesome nonprofit bike shop and youth empowerment program. Recently, we’ve partnered to conduct a research project on abandoned bikes in New York City. There is so much potential for an abandoned bike to be repurposed and put to good use. This project is significant in ensuring that abandoned bikes are given new life.

Here’s how you can participate:

  • Take part in the abandoned bikes research project over the course of the next three weeks. If you see a derelict bicycle, take a picture of it for the study and make a report to NYC 311, noting the time the call took place and the location of the bicycle.
  • After a week, check back for a neon tag from DSNY. If no tag appears, take another picture to prove it was not inspected. After another week, check to see if the bike was cut. Send your information, including your photos, to seetagcut@recycleabicycle.org.

We will present our research with Recycle-A-Bicycle at the August 9 public hearing held by the Department of Sanitation, which is proposing to amend its rules for abandoned bike removal.

During the 2007-2008 academic year, the Green Grant, Bike to School project was funded. This project was a dynamic collaboration between NYU students, staff and faculty, and Time’s Up!, a 20 year old nonprofit environmental group. Led by Gallatin students Emily Allen and Mark Simpson, the project was focused on salvaging and repairing abandoned bicycles, as well as conducting a bicycle use and parking study on campus. The project was featured in the New York Times and on WABC-TV local news. You can read the full Bike to School report here.

Pio Tsai is a coordinator and mechanic at NYU Bike Share. He graduated from Gallatin in 2016 with a concentration called “Bicycles, Sharing, and Social Movements.” He likes tea, watermelon, and swimmable bodies of water.

3 comments

  2. Doug Wedel says:

    I have a hard time finding research on why people abandon bikes in the first place and how to prevent it. Why not simply donate it or even better sell it? People do donate and sell unwanted bikes. But abandonment has something to do with indecision. The owner wants to keep the bike on one hand and on the other he or she doesn’t. If you ever hear of research about why people abandon their bikes, please let me know. Thanks!

    One thing I thought about regarding post abandonment was when a city tags bikes to let the owner they will be removed, that’s a perfect time for a thief to take it.

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