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resolvedHi folks, we have abandoned bikes in our stairwell chained to the banister. The council has already told us they won't remove them as there are no council tenants on the stair.
Does anyone know a way to get the bikes removed cheaply? The Bike Station referred us to the council, which has proved a dead end. Locksmith?
Thanks in advance for any help/advice offered!
Yeah it's a D-lock... I'm thinking a locksmith might have to be called. Unless there are any bike buyers or shops that will collect abandoned bikes?
It's a Dawes step-thru with pannier rack, not in bad nick at all. Someone would love it very much if it gets freedom...
If they're only attached by cable locks or cheap chains then a hacksaw will work, eventually. If there are any decent-quality D-locks involved you might need something more angle-grindery.
Depending on the quality of the lock or its state of repair, a couple of whacks with a heavy hammer might do the job.
Large bolt cutters will probably work, or the angle grinder approach will make lots of noise, and take little time or effort.
My last outing of the grinder revealed that finding and donning safety gear took longer than cutting the lock!
Robert
Thanks guys... Sounds like this might have to be a home-made job?
I will need to find a person that is confident wielding potential arm-chopping machinery :)
My new solution to all of life's problems is to go at it with the birthdaydremel.
It's slow and sounds painfully like a dentist's drill, but it gets the job done.
I've not got any qualms about removing bikes abandoned in stairwells, they're an obstruction to residents and potential hazard in the event of a fire.
I don't think a DIY solution is the best.
We have the same problem in our stairwell, one resident went to the police and they said that we shouldn't remove it ourselves, but the police have licensed somebody to deal with abandoned bikes. I think it was the bike station, and whoever it was I managed to find a PDF online of a note we should put on the bike for one week before they would come to remove it. But now I've forgotten who it was and can't find the PDF, sorry...
I confess to have never lived in a close, so don't have any first hand knowledge of this type of issue. I presume there are safety issues though...
How long does a bike have to lie before being classed as not belonging to anyone? ie. is there a risk of you being accused of theft?
I'm not sure I would take the DIY approach either, does the building employ a factor? If so, that's where I would go, they will employ someone to remove it after giving notice, and charge all of the tenants an equal share of the cost.
What is the legal position of removing "abandoned" locked bikes?
There have been some requests to move clearly abandoned bikes* from my work's bike racks but apparently they aren't allowed to move them.
*I would guesstimate that about 10% of the capacity is taken up by some very dusty bikes, a couple of which still have flyers from the first PoP attached!
I have (what seems like) a worse problem in our close.
One of the maindoor flat owners bought a brand new Dawes hybrid bike around 5 years ago. Looks reasonable quality. It has been left in our stairwell all that time and never even used once.
The maindoors do not have any right of access to the stairwell.
Also the effort & energy that went into manufacturing it has been totally wasted. Some poor low-paid Taiwanese/Chinese/Japanese guys slaved to make that bike and polluted up their country in the process. Not to mention that it's taking up a bike parking space...
I have asked the owner to remove it on more than one occasion, but to no avail.
What can one do about anti-social neighbours like that, without falling out with them completely?
@eddie_h: Angle grinder then dump it on their doorstep (with optional presentation ribbon on saddle).
So here's how we've been dealing with it.
We've asked bike owners to keep their bikes in the flats if they don't plan on using them regularly. Seems fair - the flats can house bikes and if they are only using occasionally it means that the spaces at the foot of the stairs can be used for regular bike users. There are 12 flats on the stair and there is definitely not enough room for 12 bikes. The flats don't want to pay for any bike storage.
We popped a notice on the "abandoned" bike about two weeks ago asking if anyone owned it. If nobody was to come forward then the bike would be removed.
So far nobody's stepped up to claim the bike, which leads us to think a tenant left it behind when they moved out...
I would really rather not do the home made approach to remove it. A locksmith would be the preferred option. I will drop the police a line to see if they have any advice, thanks for that pointer!
@stickman - at our workplace,they did ~3 months notice on obviously abandoned bikes- put a notice on each one and if it wasn't removed by the said date, then they were removed and taken to the bike station.
Greenroofer will have more details, if you re interested.
Advertise it on Gumtree for free, on one condition, buyer 'uplifts' ;-)
@claire @stickman
Waverley Station has a process for removing abandoned bikes from its racks (not used often enough IMO) but if you could find someone there who would explain the legalities it might help. I would also go round all the stair residents and get their agreement that the bike doesn't belong to any of them and they have no problem with its removal. Get them to sign a form with all the residents' names on it. Waverley might also explain how they dispose of the bikes because you don't want someone coming up later when the bike's been gifted or sold who says, "that bike's mine."
If it's a tenement, unless your title deeds say otherwise, then the Law of Tenement applies and stairs and landings are common and all properties (excepting any main doors without their own access to the stair) are responsible for the upkeep. They are not private places for any one individual resident i.e. "your" bit of landing outside your flat is actually everyone's bit of landing.
Again this is all conditional on your title deeds not saying otherwise.
It is very unlikely that the title deeds confer any right of storage in the stairwells except in any specific storage areas, e.g. cupboards under the stair.
If anyone is dumping / abandoning in your stairwell then the first approach is to confront the person responsible and politely remind them of their responsibility to keep the common areas clean and free of obstructions. The fire brigade are very clear on this - bikes are a hazard in common stairs, both for residents and any personnel responding to a call (stairs are likely to be smoky, they're wearing bulky gear and they don't need hazards to be falling over or getting their equipment snagged in).
Beyond that I would take a progressive approach. Get a reasonable number of neighbours on board and decide what level of objects you can tolerate in your stair and where. Each tenement stair is different, some can accommodate many bikes without problems, others a few, some none. Put up some signs clearly explaining where bikes can and can not be stored. Make it clear that any bikes acting as an obstruction will be reported for removal. Go from there.
Clearly abandoned bikes I've taken an iterative approach to before. Marked them up. Waited. Marked again. Waited. Then the sign goes up saying "unclaimed bikes will be moved". Then I've but the lock, but left it hanging there. Waited a bit more. Then the bikes went in the back garden. Then waited a bit more as the rain finished the job and turned them to rust. Then they went further and further up the garden before they were consigned to a skip. One new neighbour did object to a very inconsiderately left bike being moved (it wasn't locked) and put a note up saying that nobody had any right to "interfere with their property". They got a barrage of notes in response from other neighbours reminding them of their rights (i.e. none) and next time the bike was going in the back garden and if they persisted then their landlord would be contacted.
Regards to a main door flat dumping in the stair, I'd have no problem telling the owner that if they don't move it you'll "have it removed" for them as it's an obstruction and they have no legal right of access or storage in the common stair.
If you cut a lock off a bike that was obstructing a stair, after making a good effort to identify the owner, I'm not sure a/ what crime you could be committing given you are cleaning/maintaining the common area as the law states you have a duty to do and b/ I'm not sure if anyone complained the Police would care to follow it up. You aren't stealing the bike, just moving it.
We had a bit of a stair-bike saga when one of the neighbours complained that there were too many bikes on the stair and causing an obstruction.
The council came around and examined the bikes and said "no further action" as they weren't causing an obstruction. We've had one abandoned bike removed so far, but it was when the stair was being painted so I think the workies just removed it and that was that...
We will chap the doors to see if anyone claims the bike, but it's not moved in forever. There's a layer of dust on it an inch thick and it's scraping away all the new paint on the walls. It has to go!
Think there does need a wider discussion with the owners and tenants about how bikes are being managed as it's not working very well right now! :)
I came home one day to find the token "abandoned bike" on our stairwell had a note on it. I moved closer to read, and it said (paraphrasing)...
Please keep the main door to the stair closed at all times. I came home today to discover someone attempting to steal this bicycle! Be careful.
...and all I could think was "could you not have given them a hand instead?".
A big problem is that abandoned bikes take up room that bikes which are being used could occupy. This was the case in the place where I last lived. We had space (out of the way and safe) to store about 4 bikes in the communal stairwell, but of those 4, 3 were abandoned by folks who no longer lived in the tenement. So those of us in the tenement who had bikes that we wanted to use had to store them in our flats. Not very convenient if space is restricted or you live on a high up floor.
My current tenement has a good large area where bikes (and prams) are stored and everyone seems happy. There are some bikes which really are not used very much and it might be nice if the area was 'rearranged' so that those bikes that are used a lot could be in the places with the easiest access. I would personally like the area to be a little more secure also, but this won;t happen as about half the folks are tenants (including me) and their landlords are just not interested in investing in this.
@lizzie This is exactly the reason we're trying to shift this bike. I usually keep my hybrid at the bottom of the stairwell instead of hoofing it up two flights, as I use it every day.
The spanner in the works comes in the form of a scabby MTB that's just appeared and is also now chained at the bottom of the stair, leaving me no room to safely lock up the bike. I'm currently chaining it on the second floor landing, and it's a major pain as I have no upper body strength, haha.
The removal of the Dawes would give me room again! It's pretty frustrating - we have asked tenants and owners in the past to store their bikes in the flat if they don't use regularly. It's clearly falling on deaf ears...
Ahhhhh, communal spaces.
My parents asked everyone in their stair nicely if they'd have any objection to one of those three-bike hook things being drilled into the wall, to increase the bike storage space and stop access to the cupboard of cleaning things being blocked. In my old stair I stuck a fold-out hook in the narrow understair cupboard as that was the only place actual bricks were visible - the plaster in the rest of the stair was extremely thick and crumbly.
Very unfortunate and difficult.
I am lucky.
here we have a shed that someone kindly donated in the back garden (if anyone ever complained this could require retrospective planning permission) and those bikes which are really never ever used are kept in it - the garden is very secure and I'd really prefer my bike to be in the shed but its nothing like as convenient for everyday use...). (Over all there are 9 flats and between us we have 17 bikes..... and 2 prams!!!).
We are a cycling tenement!!!!
@stickman, as promised by @paddyirish I can tell you what we did at our work:
Interesting points:
Looks like the "abandoned" bike on the stair has been removed! Maybe the owner is an embarrassed forumite who saw the thread (doubt it!). Here's hoping that the rest of the bikes are well loved and used regularly by their owners...
All useful help for future discarded bikes though. We've emailed the Bike Station to ask what their process is if the council has no involvement.
D locks can be effectively removed using a car jack - just so you know... You need to be able to fit the jack right next to the lock bit, then just start pumping.
Alternately have a friend in the fire brigade. They'll do this sort of thing as a "training exercise" and give you free smoke alarms at the same time.
Problem: Abandoned Bikes
Solution: YOU!
We are looking for 4-5 volunteers with varied backgrounds, skills and experience, to help us solve the problem of abandoned bikes in Edinburgh. Whether you are a keen cyclist, a passionate researcher, or just like to make things out of old stuff, we want you!
The Bicycle Matters Team volunteer traineeship is an opportunity for a keen, committed team of creative individuals to explore the the issue of abandoned bicycles in Edinburgh and find solutions, including potentially creating your own social enterprises. This is the second in a four-part series of ‘Material Matters’ projects, looking at how to intercept different waste streams across Edinburgh.
You will have the support of the SHRUB community, including the Wee Spoke Hub community bike workshop space and volunteers, as well as Zero Waste Scotland; the University of Edinburgh transport team will brief you on the issue on their side. Most of the work will be done independently by the Bicycle Matters Team.
https://www.shrubcoop.org/bicycle-matters-team/
How to apply:
Email materialmatters@shrubcoop.org with a CV and a 1-2 page covering letter by the application deadline on 13th January, telling us why you want to be a part of the Bicycle Matters Team, and demonstrating how you meet the requirements in the role description.
I'm writing a policy for dealing with abandoned bikes, and the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 seems to be the key:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1982/45/part/VI
Much as Greenroofer explained upthread, though there is a requirement to notify the Police when you take custody of a bike for temporary safekeeping.
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