{{globalize|date=January 2025}} {{Short description|Abandoned bicycle in a public space}} [[File:Amsterdamse_politie_bestrijdt_rijwieldiefstallen-507799.ogv|thumb|Report from Amsterdam on abandoned bicycles (Polygoonjournaal, 1958)]] [[File:Achtergelaten_fietsen_en_brommers_Weeknummer_70-11_-_Open_Beelden_-_54180.ogv|thumb|Abandoned bicycles in Amsterdam (Polygoonjournaal, 1970)]] thumb|Wildparked bicycles - among these there are often abandoned bicycles
An '''orphan bicycle''' is a bicycle that is left in public space and has not been used for a long time. The owner is often unknown. They are sometimes called '''abandoned bikes''' or '''ownerless bikes''',<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-03-11 |title=En sykkel står på hemmelig adresse i Oslo. Hvert år selges hundrevis som den på auksjon. |url=https://www.aftenposten.no/oslo/i/5BPqRE/oslo-har-flere-hundre-eierloese-sykler-dette-er-historien-om-en-av-dem |access-date=2024-06-30 |language=nb}}</ref> but this is an imprecise term as it is often difficult to verify whether the bike is stolen or simply abandoned.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nakrem |first=Gunn Heidi |date=2022-09-15 |title=(+) Fant diverse gjenstander utenfor vindu: – Kan være tyvegods |url=https://www.tronderbladet.no/nyheter/i/kERpaa/usikker-paa-om-sykkelen-var-stjaalet-eller-forlatt |access-date=2024-06-30 |language=nb}}</ref> Since bicycle registration usually is not mandatory, it is often very difficult to find the owner.
== Environmental issues == Orphan bicycles are an environmental problem littering the streets.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Thonhaugen |first=Markus |date=2019-05-18 |title=Folk kaster fra seg sykler og lar andre rydde opp: – Et miljøproblem |url=https://www.nrk.no/nordland/folk-kaster-fra-seg-sykler-og-lar-andre-rydde-opp_-_-et-miljoproblem-1.14555008 |access-date=2024-06-30 |language=nb-NO}}</ref> They very often take up bicycle parking spaces in central locations that could have been used by others.<ref name=":0" /> Many bicycles are also thrown at the sea, in rivers or in other nature, which disturbs wildlife<ref name=":0" /> and can be considered vandalism. There have also been examples of abandoned bicycles starting rescue operations.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lillerud |first=Anja |date=2008-07-01 |title=Sykkel startet redningsaksjon |url=https://www.nrk.no/ostfold/sykkel-startet-redningsaksjon-1.6123440 |access-date=2024-06-30 |language=nb-NO}}</ref>
Orphan bicycles can often lack essential parts such as saddle, handlebars or wheels, which spoil the streetscape. These parts may have been stolen, or may have been taken off the bike before the owner got rid of it.
== Legal status == Refurbishing stolen or abandoned bikes is a legal gray area as it is difficult to verify whether the bike is stolen or just abandoned.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ottesen |first=Dag Hellesund, Ken Andre |date=2004-09-07 |title=Dumpet et lass sykler hos politiet |url=https://www.ba.no/1-41-1239766 |access-date=2024-06-30 |language=no}}</ref> The bicycles can be stolen goods.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Norum |first=Tommy Simon |date=2024-03-27 |title=Forlatt sykkel med motorsag på styret |url=https://www.raumnes.no/5-162-16933 |access-date=2024-06-30 |language=no}}</ref> They are often stored for longer periods,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rønning |first=Ellen |date=2023-10-09 |title=Ensom og forlatt: Savner du denne skjønnheten? |url=https://www.akersposten.no/5-142-129601 |access-date=2024-06-30 |language=no}}</ref> possibly to "cool down" after bicycle theft. In other cases, there are bicycles that the owner has left on purpose for various reasons, for example because they consider it obsolete.
== Procedures for finding the owner == Before an abandoned bicycle is removed, for example, municipalities may have a practice of marking the bicycle with an eye-catching marking such as a sticker to warn the owner. If the bike is not removed after a few weeks, it may be taken to a municipal depot. If possible, it will be checked whether the bicycle has been registered as stolen, but due to the low proportion of bicycle registrations, this is often difficult. If the owner can be identified they can be offered to pick up their bike within a deadline, and often for a fee. In practice, such bikes are rarely picked up.
== Reuse for bike sharing == Luud Schimmelpennink was part of the Dutch counterculture movement Provo which in the mid-1960s focused on provoking a violent response from authorities by using non-violent methods. When Luud joined Amsterdam's city council in 1967, he proposed the ''Wittefiestenplan'', that all abandoned bicycles that were collected should be painted white and placed back on the streets so that they could be used by everyone.<ref>{{Cite news |title= The Radical Roots of Bikesharing| website=Bloomberg News | date=26 February 2022 |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-02-26/the-dutch-anarchists-who-launched-a-bikesharing-revolution |access-date=2024-06-30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=How bike-sharing conquered the world |url=https://www.economist.com/christmas-specials/2017/12/19/how-bike-sharing-conquered-the-world |newspaper=The Economist |issn=0013-0613}}</ref>
== See also == * Bicycle-sharing system * Ghost bicycle
== References == <references />
Category:Cycling in the Netherlands