Can’t find rack space for your bike? Frustrated by bicycles that you see in the same spot, day in, day out, as if they had been abandoned?
Well, TAPS suspects they are abandoned and will be picking them up in a bike sweep from today through Friday, May 29 to June 1. Not only do abandoned bikes take up rack space, they are unsightly, may present tripping hazards and can tempt thieves, said David Takemoto-Weerts, coordinator for Transportation and Parking Services.
He said bicycle owners received a minimum of 48 hours notice of the impending sweep, via tags attached to the targeted bikes — those that look like they had been abandoned.
“The bikes we typically pick up have clearly not been ridden in months,” Takemoto-Weerts said. Signs of abandonment, he said, include flat tires, rusty parts, cobwebs, missing parts and bent wheels.
“We are pretty experienced at the process,” he said. “It's very rare that the owner of a bike we pick up argues that their bike didn't look abandoned.”
If you want to move your bike but can’t get the lock off — you lost the key or forgot the combination, or the lock is not working — .
TAPS impounds about 1,000 bikes annually, checking all of them to see if they have been reported stolen. TAPS attempts to contact the owners of licensed bikes.
Most unclaimed bikes go up for , and some are donated to various charitable groups or organizations.
More information is available or by calling the Bicycle Program, (530) 752-BIKE (2453).
Media Resources
Dave Jones, Dateline, 530-752-6556, dljones@ucdavis.edu