The Abandoned

Bikes abandoned on the streets of London make me sad. You see them everywhere, either looking like they’ve not been used for months, waiting for a hot day to be dragged into service and then clog up the bike racks at work, or vandalised and twisted into the railings, only their corpses remaining as they’re stripped of all valuable parts by the street vultures. They are unfailingly desperate looking and seem to scream out for a life running over the tarmac again.

While I hate the way they get into this state and despise the people who would tear all the meat off the bones of the noble city-bike and leave it bleaching in the sun, I thoroughly approve of schemes that aim to re-house and renovate these pedal-pets. One that grabbed my attention recently was in South Shields, as I’m an avid reader of Materials Waste Handling Magazine although the ad revenue from this blog isn’t quite enough for a paper subscription, I, literally, rarely miss an online offering. Imagine if I was to not hear of any developments in respectful coffin handling (is this for the heaviest of coffins, otherwise don’t people come with respectful coffin handling systems naturally?).

The idea of allowing abandoned and unwanted bikes to be collected and supplied to people in local areas or abroad who might benefit from a bike, for whatever reason, seems brilliant to me. In fact, there’s at least one scheme in North London where kids are encouraged to fix up bikes to as a project and given the opportunity to own them as well. People can be introduced to the fun and freedom of a bike and learn skills at the same time, and I’m sure they’d never be used as any sort of getaway vehicle…


Article from Islington Council

When locking up your bike many things can help it not end up as an abandoned shell, the most important of which is making sure you use it regularly and don’t leave it to fend for itself for days on the mean streets, or keeping it inside. The Irish Times has a list of things to consider when parking your vehicle, which is well worth a peruse.

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