The Chainlink

Chicago D.O.T cutting bike locks?

Saw this on  www.reddit.com/r/chibike  Figured I'd give people a heads up here.

"This morning on my commute to work I saw a large City of Chicago DOT truck and some workers using a cutting torch to remove the u-locks from every bike that was locked up to the bike racks on the NE corner of Adams and Canal and then they were loading the bikes into the back of the truck. Anyone know why or what is happening to these bikes? It was probably 15 bikes in total from what I could see. Kind of alarming if you ask me because I could not see anything wrong with the way the bikes were locked up."

http://www.reddit.com/r/chibike/comments/180uqn/chicago_dot_cutting...

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Paul Fitz, Scrabblor on February 6, 2013 at 7:53pm

I would imagine that these were abandoned bikes.  While it would be weird for the streets + san guys to get 15 bikes from a single location, it would not be surprising for them to pick up 15 bikes within a few hours.  Most of these bikes have been abandoned for some time and frequently they get parted out by 'vultures' better known as trifling thieves.

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on February 6, 2013 at 8:20pm
I rode by there on my way home from work and the only bike rack on the NE corner is about 60 feet east of the corner on Adams, and when I was there, there were two bikes locked to the rack. I agree with Paul that if anything, CDOT was scooping abandoned bikes. The reddit account sounds implausible because it would have required the poster to stand at the corner for at least 15 minutes observing multiple bike locks being cut, but not asking any of the CDOT people what's going on? Seems unlikely.
Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on February 6, 2013 at 11:31pm

Goll-darn, there's some horribly bad info in those comments.  Big orange stickers? 3 days?

This is where Working bikes gets most of its bikes?

Maybe we've transitioned from the information age to the misinformation age, and I didn't get the memo?

Permalink Reply by Juan Primo on February 7, 2013 at 9:22am

The internet is proof that more information does not equal more wisdom.

Permalink Reply by Jim Freeman on February 7, 2013 at 10:21am

I'd be interested to hear what this was.  I find it hard to believe there were 15 abandoned bikes.  The Chicago Municipal code requires bikes to be labeled with a sign indicating when the bicycle will be removed.  In my experience once one of those signs is placed on a bike people start picking the bike apart for parts, and pretty quickly there is just a frame and wheel type situation.

I figure you would have noticed the signs though...

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on February 7, 2013 at 10:37am

I'll be willing to bet that the OP did not stand there and watch 15 bikes being removed (or that 15 bikes were removed).

Jim said:

I'd be interested to hear what this was.  I find it hard to believe there were 15 abandoned bikes.  The Chicago Municipal code requires bikes to be labeled with a sign indicating when the bicycle will be removed.  In my experience once one of those signs is placed on a bike people start picking the bike apart for parts, and pretty quickly there is just a frame and wheel type situation.

I figure you would have noticed the signs though...

Permalink Reply by WillG on February 7, 2013 at 1:21pm

Does anyone know what happens to the abandoned bikes that the city cuts away? Are they sold? If so, where?

Permalink Reply by JohnO on February 7, 2013 at 3:03pm

That's by Union Station, right? I noticed that that in the past couple of days they've put in new bike racks 'inside' the station, down the two car entrance ramps from Canal. Could they be removing the old bike racks that were outside on the pavement?

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on February 7, 2013 at 4:52pm

It's across the street from Union Station, next to 120 S. Riverside Plaza.  I know people who work in that office building, which doesn't have enough rack space in the warmer months.

John Osborn said:

That's by Union Station, right? I noticed that that in the past couple of days they've put in new bike racks 'inside' the station, down the two car entrance ramps from Canal. Could they be removing the old bike racks that were outside on the pavement?

Permalink Reply by Vitaliy on February 7, 2013 at 9:59pm

Bump b/c interested

Will Godfrey said:

Does anyone know what happens to the abandoned bikes that the city cuts away? Are they sold? If so, where?

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on February 7, 2013 at 10:30pm

They're auctioned 3-4 times per year.

Vitaliy said:

Bump b/c interested

Will Godfrey said:

Does anyone know what happens to the abandoned bikes that the city cuts away? Are they sold? If so, where?

Permalink Reply by Ace Mann on February 7, 2013 at 11:35pm
Working bikes only get vulture frames from the city. Never complete bikes. Once the yellow tag goes on a bike, it is a free for all. Most bike get stripped to just a frame.

h' 1.0 said:

Goll-darn, there's some horribly bad info in those comments.  Big orange stickers? 3 days?

This is where Working bikes gets most of its bikes?

Maybe we've transitioned from the information age to the misinformation age, and I didn't get the memo?

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