Each fall, we ask our members and supporters to report abandoned bikes that have been left to die on bike racks and posts around the city. Abandoned bikes are forms of blight in the city, and the more of us who report them, the cleaner the city.
Here’s how it’s done (from a spring blog post):
311 is one way for Philadelphians to improve their communities by reporting issues and watching them get fixed. Essentially, you can contact 311 using the Philly 311 app, visiting phila.gov/311, dialing 311, tweeting @philly311, or walking into their office (Philadelphia runs the only walk-in 311 service center in the country), and someone will relay that issue to the agency responsible for fixing it.
The vast majority of 311 submissions make their way to the Streets Department, the agency in charge of issues like right-of-way obstructions, pothole repairs, and traffic signal emergencies. One of the lesser known, 311-reportable, issues handled by the Streets Department is the presence of an abandoned bike.
These mangled wrecks look terrible, remove valuable bike parking, and pose potential problems for mobility impaired individuals. If and when you see an abandoned bike, first, make sure it’s abandoned; then, please report it to 311.
If you’ve got the 311 app, here are the steps to follow:
We believe the Streets Department is going to be conducting a sweep of abandoned bikes this fall, so make sure to both report the blight on your block, or to grab your own bike if you think it may be in danger of being labeled as abandoned.