In Lille, it is a phenomenon but not yet a problem, the wrecks of bikes abandoned all over the city. Here, we do not yet count them in the hundreds, unlike Strasbourg, where the municipality had to seriously address the issue. Nevertheless, Lille has still developed a procedure for removing carcasses in a “manifest state of abandonment” which may lack a recycling component.
In September 2021, 20 minutes posted on his Facebook page a call for witnesses to try to find the owners of two superb bicycles, attached together at the foot of its offices in Lille. Almost new BTwin hybrid bikes, firmly secured to a roll bar using three anti-theft devices. Since then, the padlocks have been cut and one of the bikes has flown away. The second, still in the same place, is in a sorry state, reduced to the status of an abandoned carcass, like dozens of others everywhere. “It has been three years since we established a protocol for removing wrecks from public roads, somewhat on the same model of what can be done elsewhere”, explains Jacques Richir, deputy mayor of Lille in charge of space. Public, the living environment and mobility.
“Fifteen days to recover it before removal”
There are two scenarios. If the wreckage is deemed dangerous for pedestrians, because blunt pieces protrude, it is immediately removed by the city services under the supervision of the municipal police. If the carcass only risks hurting the eyes of others by its unsightly side, a deadline is given to the owner: “If just one or more parts are missing, a notice of abandonment is attached to the bike to prevent the owner that he has fifteen days to recover it before it is removed,” specifies Jacques Richir. Again, for things to be square, it is a sworn official of the municipal police who is responsible for writing the sweet word.
And after ? The police are not on the job and delays are often longer than two weeks. According to the town hall, the written warning is enough to convince a good number of owners to recover the remains of their property. For the bikes that remain, it’s direction the found objects or the recycling center if they are unrecoverable. “We keep them for a year for legal issues, but it must be recognized that few people come to collect them,” concedes the elected official. “Perhaps we should think about organizing a recycling channel for these bikes, either to restore them or to use them as a parts bank”, suggests Julien Vitse of the Association for the right to cycling (Adave). An idea that many municipalities have already implemented, in particular in SuresnesParis or reindeer. In Lille, if it is not yet institutionalized, “we still give it to the Lille-Sud insertion association”, slips Jacques Richir.
“Probably students”
All this does not tell us who comes to abandon his bike, and why. For the two bikes near our offices, it’s a mystery. For others, there are some assumptions. “In the majority of cases, these are old bicycles, probably bought second-hand inexpensively and for which the owners do not want or cannot pay for repairs”, estimates Julien Vitse. “No doubt students, adds the elected official, since most of the wrecks are found near schools, universities or in neighborhoods with student accommodation. »
So certainly, there are not thousands of dying carcasses in Lille, “a hundred are removed each year”, assures the deputy mayor. But, like a pimple in the middle of the forehead, it stains. “In terms of visibility and communication, it gives a bad signal to new bike users,” laments the Adav.
Still, wreck removals are done on report and few people bother to do so. It doesn’t have to be abusive either. as was the case in Lyonin October 2019, when the city had impounded many bicycles upstream of a foot race.