City
Bylaw officer mistakenly impounds commuter's bike
There are countless abandoned bikes in the city of Toronto. Some are left and remain forgotten for months or longer, rusting and decaying - locked to trees, fences, utility poles, and bike racks. Often they're picked apart by resourceful others, who find purpose for the odd pedal, seat, or wheel. And then what? Apparently getting rid of the remnants is as easy as 3-1-1, or, in some cases, bylaw officers on patrol identify, tag, and later have them removed and/or impounded.
But what happens if City staff make a mistake and remove a bike that's not abandoned?
blogTO reader and bike commuter Sharon faced this very scenario earlier this month.
She writes:
Back on April 1st, I returned to my locked bike to find a Notice from the City's Transportation Services Right of Way Management, instructing me to remove my bike from a City-provided post and ring outside my workplace. The Notice stated that if I didn't remove my bike immediately, it would be removed by the City at my expense. I phoned the bylaw officer listed on the notice to inquire about this.
He said that because my chain is rusted, the bike looks abandoned. I told him that it was not abandoned and that I ride it to and from work everyday, but he didn't seem to believe me, suggesting that he could tell if it was abandoned or not by the rust on the inside part of the chain (I later looked at and found that there wasn't much rust on the inner part of the chain at all; it was mostly on the outer part).
He then said I needed to use a different ring everyday. I didn't take this to mean I could never use the same ring again... so, yesterday, I used that same ring I used back on April 1st. By the end of my work day, my reliable little Norco had been removed by the City, and I, helmet in hand, had to make my way to the subway rather than riding home.
This morning I again spoke to the bylaw officer and he said I that I shouldn't have parked it in the same place. This afternoon I spoke to the Supervisor of bike collections, from whom I was supposed to be able to retrieve my bike, and he said that he's "gotta dig it up" and see if they have it (at the Yonge St. Yard).
Needless to say, this is rather frustrating. We need a bike-friendly city, not one where I have to jump through hoops (or post and rings, as the case may be) to cycle to work.
So there you have it. A lesson learned the hard way, I suppose. Mistakes do happen. If you get a written notice from the City about your bike being "stored," try not to park your ride close to where the notice was initially given, or you risk having to go on a bit of a time-sucking hunt to retrieve it.
Oh, and keeping a well-oiled chain will benefit you two-fold; it'll make pedaling easier and it'll decrease the likelihood of your ride being mistaken for abandoned or turned into street art.
Photos courtesy of Sharon.
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Just opened at 2755 Lake Shore Blvd West. City Bikes on the Lakeshore: http://www.cyclebutik.com/. #bikeTO ...not that I am trying to promote them or sell their stuff but this is pretty exciting. I'm going to go check it out after work.
If only they were so diligent when it came to the homeless
you need to take car of your bike, if you ride it everyday than its in your best interest to keep the chain greased anyway, stop being lazy.
if your going to complain about a city employee, pick one who isnt doing his job.
"Bike are prohibited from being stores..." (sic).
I had my car and trailer towed from Ashbridges Bay once, costing me $120 because the city f$#ked up - I had even asked an officer who was ticketing cars (that had no trailers) if I was okay to leave my vehicle there. Of course, the city later dropped the ticket, but I still had to pay the towing charge - not to mention leaving 4 or 5 friends stranded at dockside while I scrambled via taxi to find out where my car and trailer were!
We all have sob stories, it's just part of the fun of living in the big smoke!
Really, how is one to know if the city has taken your bike away or if it was stolen?
Dave, if the by-law officer was doing their job correctly, Sharon would have her bike now and they wouldn't have to go looking for it. The "well oiled chain" metaphor goes a long way in their methods of impounding as well... perhaps they are the lazy ones. You don't work for the city do you?
Notwithstanding that the by-law officer was "doing his job", it seems that some discretion could have been exercised here. Obviously the bike was not in fact, abandoned - as others have noted, who would go through the trouble of contacting the by-law officer in respect of a bike they've abandoned?
Seriously, some common sense needs to be exercised in these kinds of situations, either by the officer or by his or her managers.
Well...believe it or not there is due process to follow in these cases...Which begins with a 7 day notice before removal...So something doesn't add up here!
I've blogged about this and other details at:
http://thumbshift.wordpress.com/2010/02/18/cleaning-up-carcasses/
RideOn
jo
all you bikers think the city should bow to you.
Like GADFLY said we all have SOB stories about stupid tickets, just because you bike doesnt make you exempt.
What city is this image from? I think it's a popular tourist destination...
http://dorninger.servus.at/system/files/images/amsterdam_bikes.jpg
Do these bikes need to be checked for rusted chains too? Bylaw officers need to get their priorities straight and understand the point of their jobs, instead of going out and making hostility for citizens.
I was out cycling for the day with Sharon just over a week ago – we went across Harbourfront, up the Don River trail, back down along Bayview Ave., across Rosedale Valley Rd and back to downtown. She's a good cyclist and her bike was working perfectly. It’s not like her chain was catching or grinding and sounding like it was about to break.
The city should be apologizing and getting her bike back to her pronto - preferably with a new lock. It's pretty clear that there was no follow-up to her phone call and no effort was made to check that her bike wasn't there overnight. 'Don't park your bike in the same place' is a ridiculous response from the by-law officer. She should be allowed to park her bike in front of the building where she works. This is no way to encourage cycling in Toronto.
If only they were so diligent when it came to the homeless" And just where would they dump them??
the only two bikes in the picture are ticketed anyway, and completely rusted,
so yeah if the workers threw them in a pile, too bad.
I've heard of this kind of thing happening before: e.g., bikes being removed because the owner took the seatpost off (otherwise a quick-release seatpost would be snatched up by thieves). The worst is that it happened without any prior notice, during the big "spring cleaning", when bylaw enforcement officers go around and just remove any bikes they don't like the look of. It's really quite mind-boggling. Alas, if it's "just a bike", nobody cares. It's fine to cut off its lock (NY Kryptonite locks are over $100, BTW) throw it in a pile, remove it at any time. No wonder more people don't want to ride, given this sort of attitudes...
As a community, as a city, or as a market, we will collectively determine what the appropriate level of prioritization is. Bike parking of the kind in the Amsterdam photo is costly, and can only be provided as a private venture assuming the risk, or as a public venture if supported by the electorate.
So, if you're entrepreneurial and value cycling as a transit or recreation, maybe a privately operated bike parking lot or garage is your solution. If you prefer the political process, vote for candidates who support cycling initiatives - the election is approaching - or get involved with cycling interest groups. I'm sure cycling advocates are watching this issue with interest.
Yup. Cars have license PLATES and you know what? They do get removed. Try leaving yours downtown on a main arterial roadway after 3:30 M - F and see what happens. Try King Street or Adelaide.
However there are an ungodly amount of abandoned bikes in this city. Until a blitz at Dupont Station virtually every bike post there was covered with bikes that had been there for months, and some had been stripped to the frame. Not only is it ugly, it prevents people from using the posts to park their bikes. The removal policy is definitely needed.
I had an abandoned bike on the ring outside of my house for 10 months, finally when I heard it could be taken away I called the city. It had flat tires, rust everywhere and never changed positions. They placed a warning sticker on the bike and left it there for 2 weeks before removing it.
The city's website says you're allowed to park in the same spot for 1 week max, which is why I find this story so puzzling. Either they've changed the policy or the enforcement guy doesn't know what he's talking about.
You know the one with tons of bird shit , and cigarette butts all around it.
RIght around police headquarters, you know, the building with all the bird shit and cigarette butts around front entrance...