???? Article published on October 28, 2024
✅ Updated October 28, 2024
Bordeaux is fighting a growing scourge: abandoning bicycles in the city. Every day, around three bicycles are abandoned in public spaces, which creates a real headache for the municipality and cyclists.
An epidemic of wrecked bikes
The phenomenon is growing in a worrying manner. Indeed, the scourge of “wrecked bikes“, as nicknamed by the authorities, are proliferating rapidly. Rusted, dismembered, without wheels or saddlethey invade the streets of Bordeaux like metallic ghosts. Residents regularly complain about their presence.
Why are bikes abandoned?
Constantly increasing theft of bicycle parts is fueling this phenomenon. The owners, discouraged after the theft, and not wishing to finance the repairs, leave their damaged bike there rather than recover it. And the more cyclists there are, the more the number of abandoned bicycles increases. This phenomenon clutters up parking spaces and discourages certain potential users.
A headache for cyclists
Beyond harming the cleanliness of the city, these wrecked bikes pose a practical problem for cyclists. Wrecks take up parking spaces, when more are already needed in several streets and neighborhoods. At a time when we estimate thatbetween 80,000 and 100,000 people use bicycles daily in the metropolis and that the modal share of cycling has now reached 15% in the city of Bordeaux, this is a real problem.
Faced with this situation, some cyclists adopt makeshift solutions. When there is no more room to hang their bike, they hang their locks directly on abandoned bicycles. A rather comical situation for a city designated as one of the most cycle-friendly in France.
Video: report on the scourge of wrecked bicycles in Paris
Report on the fight against the scourge of “wrecked bikes”
Bordeaux must manage 1,000 wrecked bicycles per year
To deal with this scourge, the municipality is trying to act. Elected environmentalists have launched a real crusade against abandoned bicycles. Specialized teams are scouring the city to identify and remove these wrecks. However, the task turns out to be tedious. In an interview recently given on Europe 1, the deputy mayor in charge of security and delinquency estimates that around 1,000 wrecked bicycles will be recovered in 2024. That is to say a ratio of almost three bicycles abandoned daily. A colossal figure which generates a significant cost for the community.
The new measure taken by the city
Bordeaux is testing an experiment to combat wrecked bicycles. From now on, a bicycle is classified as wrecked when it has at least three major defective points. This diagnosis may include missing saddle, handlebars, wheels or pedals, as well as flat tires or significant corrosion. In this case, a poster is affixed to the bicycle. This document informs that, without intervention from the owner within two weeks, the bike will be evacuated by the Bordeaux Métropole teams.
Towards a lasting solution?
To stem this phenomenon, the city is considering new solutions, such as the circular economy or partnerships with associations to recycle these bicycles. In the meantime, citizen vigilance remains essential to keep the streets passable and pleasant for all. This problem of abandoned bicycles illustrates the unexpected challenges faced by cities that encourage soft mobility. In conclusion, Bordeaux, on the front line of this fight, could become a model for other metropolises facing similar challenges.
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