I Like Peeing

I hope the owner of that bike was coming back for it that day. Congrats.

uke

Lulz @ the euphemism "liberation".

And I bumped this because of this.

Guvna

Obviously 'liberation' means stealing, yes.

However, living in New York you really just see so, so many bikes go to **** like that. Is it wrong to take them? Of course. Conversely, I think it's distinctively 'not right' to leave a bike out to pasture that could actually be used. Does the owner have the right to do just that? Sure. He also has the right to drive a gas-guzzling Hummer with the money he makes marketing pharmaceuticals to kids. My point? Legality has much less to do with morality than the more optimistic of us would like to think. Ask anyone who's been on jury duty.

The questions, then, is: Are you 100% sure the bike is abandoned foreva, eva? How can you be completely sure?

I would say though, if somehow you could become 100% sure, definitely take that ****. As far as I'm concerned, the owner of that bike is just an unusually bad polluter, and a wasteful, lazy sh*t-head.

The_Schwill

I have something to add to this discussion and a question that may or may not have been previously asked.

Chicago city ordinance states has the following procedures for abandoned bikes:

• The Bike Program browses the 311 database for new reports.
• A Bike Program staff member travels to the location of the suspected abandoned bike.
• The staff member uses a defined set of criteria in addition to his or her judgment about the condition of the bicycle.
• If the suspected abandoned bike meets the criteria, then the Bike Program staff member deems the bike abandoned and attaches a placard to the bike, which includes the 311 report number.
• This placard says that the bike owner has at least seven (7) days to claim the bicycle by calling the Bike Program.
• After seven (7) days has passed, a City crew will be dispatched to remove the bike.

After the abandoned bike is removed, it is stored in a city warehouse for a short time before being turned over to Working Bikes Cooperative, which refurbishes the bike for charity. Please visit the Working Bikes Cooperative website for more information about that non-profit organization.

Provided that a bike obviously meets the criteria used to determine whether or not it is abandoned, would YOU attempt to claim a bike after reporting it abandoned and the city takes possession of it?
In the situation of a bike that has been stripped down and sitting out for months, locked up in the same spot, it is clear that it is abandoned and meets the criteria of the city's protocol would you call it in and take possession of the bike by claiming to be the owner?

erikbuzz

Some cities have laws on abandon bike reclaiming. Check your local bike laws. In my city, the local authorities place a notice on the bike. If the notice isn't removed after 30 days, its considered abandon and I think you can claim it.

The_Schwill

The response I just received from the City of Chicago is:

"There's no way that you can be involved in the removal of said abandoned bike.

Please report the abandoned bike's location to 311."