Has anyone had success getting the city to remove an abandoned bike?

...because I sure haven't.

There has been a very neglected, obviously abandoned, bike locked to a bicycle rack outside of my workplace for what seems like an eternity (it's been there at least since November '10). I have been calling the city relentlessly since February requesting that it be removed. The last 2 times I've called I was told the request would be marked "urgent" and that they would "get to it as soon as possible." Still nothing. I know the city likes to takes its sweet ol' time with things like this, but c'mon...5 months and counting?

With the summer bicyclists now emerging, parking spots are becoming more and more scarce. I want all the available bike racks I can get! Yes, I also requested (last year) another bike rack to be installed. You can probably guess the outcome of that as well.

What else can I do to free up this spot? I'm not interested in the DIY angle grinder method. Does anyone have any kind of hookup with the city to make this happen?

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Permalink Reply by Laura Blake on August 3, 2011 at 4:46pm

My vacation was great! Thanks for asking, Kevin. Spent some time in Detroit....lots of bikes and baseball!

Kevin C said:

If it's any comfort, the universe is more than likely simply indifferent to you Laura. How was your vacation?

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Permalink Reply by Laura Blake on August 3, 2011 at 4:51pm

Wow! A real life tag. Unbelievable! Thanks for proving that they actually do exist. So there is hope...

Gooseberry Pie! said:

I saw this downtown (on Michigan between Monroe and Madison I think) on the evening of the 22nd...

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Permalink Reply by Laura Blake on August 3, 2011 at 5:00pm

Thank you, Ethan! I appreciate you bringing attention to this topic. Hopefully my experience will shed some light on some of the flaws and gaps in the execution of handling abandoned bikes. Please keep us posted on any progress. I would be interested to know where the evident breakdown of communication stems from. Thanks again!!

Active Transportation Alliance said:

FYI, we (I) have been behind on Chainlink monitoring/discussing and missed this until now...I've passed it to a couple of people at CDOT so they are directly aware of this thread/issue.

Thanks,

Ethan Spotts, Active Trans

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Permalink Reply by Laura Blake on August 3, 2011 at 5:17pm

VICTORY!!!!! After just 7 short months, I finally have an open bike rack at work! I'm still curious as to who removed the u-lock....anyone? anyone?

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Permalink Reply by Rhea Butcher on September 23, 2011 at 4:16am

I called 311 a few weeks ago about an abandoned bike right in front of my apartment and there is still no tag on it. It would be really great for this process to work a bit faster than 7 months. I guess I'll just look forward to it being gone in, what, March? ;)

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Permalink Reply by Rhea Butcher on October 8, 2011 at 2:15am

THE WEB FORM IS BACK!!!!

http://chicagobikes.org/bikeparking/abandonedbike.php

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Permalink Reply by Laura Blake on October 11, 2011 at 10:02am

Wow!! Such good news! I hope this means that this program is finally starting to get some much-needed attention. Hopefully the abandoned bike in front of your apartment is taken care of quickly. The only advice I can give is to be persistent about it. Good luck!

Rhea Butcher said: