Hi Everyone,
I'm looking for an example of a city where a community bike shop handles all impounded bikes at a central location and then refurbishes and sells the ones that aren't claimed. I work on cycling issues in Vancouver and Victoria on the west coast of BC, Canada, and the current situation (where if the cops can't find the owner of a stolen they sell it and keep the money) is seriously messed up. I'd like to propose an alternative where a nonprofit could be set up to handle the whole impound process, and it'd be great if I could point to an example where it's already done this way.
Thanks, Andrea
I think the Fort Collins Bike Coop in Ft Collins Colorado does what you're talking about.
Rich Community Cycles Boulder
Andrea Smith wrote:
Hi Everyone,
I'm looking for an example of a city where a community bike shop handles all impounded bikes at a central location and then refurbishes and sells the ones that aren't claimed. I work on cycling issues in Vancouver and Victoria on the west coast of BC, Canada, and the current situation (where if the cops can't find the owner of a stolen they sell it and keep the money) is seriously messed up. I'd like to propose an alternative where a nonprofit could be set up to handle the whole impound process, and it'd be great if I could point to an example where it's already done this way.
Thanks, Andrea
Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank@bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe, send a blank email to TheThinkTank-leave@bikecollectives.org To manage your subscription, plase visit: http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o...
We have an arrangment with the city police as well as with the local Metro bus system to get unclaimed bikes back out to the public. With the police, there are lots of requirements (bikes must be given away to youth for free in good working order with lock and helmet- we distrubute the bikes to non-profit church or school agencies who give them to youth) but the metro bikes are ours to distribute cheap or free. josh santa cruz bike church
On Wed, Dec 9, 2009 at 9:31 AM, R Points poster@richpoints.com wrote:
I think the Fort Collins Bike Coop in Ft Collins Colorado does what you're talking about.
Rich Community Cycles Boulder
Andrea Smith wrote:
Hi Everyone,
I'm looking for an example of a city where a community bike shop handles all impounded bikes at a central location and then refurbishes and sells the ones that aren't claimed. I work on cycling issues in Vancouver and Victoria on the west coast of BC, Canada, and the current situation (where if the cops can't find the owner of a stolen they sell it and keep the money) is seriously messed up. I'd like to propose an alternative where a nonprofit could be set up to handle the whole impound process, and it'd be great if I could point to an example where it's already done this way.
Thanks, Andrea
Thethinktank mailing listThethinktank@bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe, send a blank email to TheThinkTank-leave@bikecollectives.org To manage your subscription, plase visit:http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o...
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We're trying to push City of Toronto to do the same thing. The latest example: 2000+ bikes were seized by the police as "evidence" of one notorious bike thief. Many groups made depositions to the city to get the bikes. The newspapers just announced that they will be sold to pay for his court case. Maybe it's a Canadian thing?
On Wed, Dec 9, 2009 at 12:20 PM, Andrea Smith andrrrea@gmail.com wrote:
Hi Everyone,
I'm looking for an example of a city where a community bike shop handles all impounded bikes at a central location and then refurbishes and sells the ones that aren't claimed. I work on cycling issues in Vancouver and Victoria on the west coast of BC, Canada, and the current situation (where if the cops can't find the owner of a stolen they sell it and keep the money) is seriously messed up. I'd like to propose an alternative where a nonprofit could be set up to handle the whole impound process, and it'd be great if I could point to an example where it's already done this way.
Thanks, Andrea
Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank@bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe, send a blank email to TheThinkTank-leave@bikecollectives.org To manage your subscription, plase visit:
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On 9-Dec-09, at 1:01 PM, Chloé Rose wrote:
We're trying to push City of Toronto to do the same thing. The
latest example: 2000+ bikes were seized by the police as "evidence"
of one notorious bike thief. Many groups made depositions to the
city to get the bikes. The newspapers just announced that they will
be sold to pay for his court case. Maybe it's a Canadian thing?
I believe the issue is that the Police told people that if theft
reports (with serial numbers) had never been filed then the Police
could not legally return any bikes.
Mark Rehder General Manager re-Cycles Bicycle Co-op http://re-cycles.ca
write down your serial numbers on the back of a photo of your bike i have gone so far as to engrave the serial number onto the rims, cranks, hubs stem, bars and seat post this activity has lead to the memorization of 1296998 also record the make, model, color and any other distinctive aspects to your bicycle. the police in los angeles are reticent to take a report they don't understand that bicycles are life lines for many. they also do not know the value of bicycles. in california a theft of more than $400 is a felony so add the value of your bicycle to the photo. if you have a receipt affix a copy of that as well. i have lost 7 bikes to theft and recovered 3, one by the police!
jim
--- On Wed, 12/9/09, Mark Rehder mark@re-cycles.ca wrote:
From: Mark Rehder mark@re-cycles.ca Subject: Re: [TheThinkTank] anyone know of a nonprofit bike depot that handles unclaimed stolen/impound bikes? To: "The Think Tank" thethinktank@bikecollectives.org Date: Wednesday, December 9, 2009, 11:26 AM
On 9-Dec-09, at 1:01 PM, Chloé Rose wrote:
We're trying to push City of Toronto to do the same thing. The latest example: 2000+ bikes were seized by the police as "evidence" of one notorious bike thief. Many groups made depositions to the city to get the bikes. The newspapers just announced that they will be sold to pay for his court case. Maybe it's a Canadian thing?
I believe the issue is that the Police told people that if theft reports (with serial numbers) had never been filed then the Police could not legally return any bikes.
Mark Rehder General Manager re-Cycles Bicycle Co-op http://re-cycles.ca _______________________________________________ Thethinktank mailing list Thethinktank@bikecollectives.org To unsubscribe, send a blank email to TheThinkTank-leave@bikecollectives.org To manage your subscription, plase visit: http://lists.bikecollectives.org/listinfo.cgi/thethinktank-bikecollectives.o...
Hi Andrea,
When I was living in Vancouver I recovered several unlocked abandoned bikes (which were probably stolen and dumped). I contacted the police and they had me record and report the make/model/color/serial#. The police told me if no one contacted me within X weeks then I could assume ownership and dispose of the bikes however I wanted. Naturally I tuned them up and sold them.
After confirming the applicable laws (and any wrinkle a locked bike adds) I don't see why you couldn't set up a non-profit to accept donations and collect abandon bikes from other institutions and property owners/managers. Once you have proven yourselves I think you would have a better chance convincing the police to turn over recovered bikes to you.
Another angle to investigate is who (if anyone) granted the police permission to collect the bikes that are not evidence. You may find they are following the same laws I was above. In that case you may be able to get the local government to legislate that any non-evidence bikes be turned over to a non-profit recycler (like you).
Also talk to the public and private waste collection depots. I know that Maple Ridge used to maintain a pile of discarded bikes seperate from the regular garbage. See if you can arrange to cherry pick such piles before they are sent to the metal recyclers (other threads have indicated you don't want it all dumped on you as you will be overwhelmed with unusable scrap).
I have now attended police bike auctions in Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa. The differences were interesting.
In Toronto (around 1988) most items sold for around 30%-80% of their value. With lots of great deals in the $10-$30 range.
In Vancouver (around 1994) MTBs were coming in to mainstream fashion and all the low end MTBs (<$200) sold for 90%-300% of their value (i.e. often more than the new cost)! The only deals were in the $550-$1000 range (I purchased a like new XTR/RaceFace/RockShox equipped Giant MTB for $800 and worked out the replacement cost to be over $4000).
In Ottawa (around 1991) 90% of the inventory spent a winter under a snowbank and wasn't worth anything.
Chris Wells (Email Handler & one of many Volunteer Head Mechanics)
re-Cycles Bicycle Co-op 477 Bronson Ave. Ottawa
info@re-cycles.ca http://www.re-cycles.ca/
--- On Wed, 12/9/09, Andrea Smith andrrrea@gmail.com wrote:
From: Andrea Smith andrrrea@gmail.com Subject: [TheThinkTank] anyone know of a nonprofit bike depot that handles unclaimed stolen/impound bikes? To: thethinktank@bikecollectives.org Date: Wednesday, December 9, 2009, 12:20 PM Hi Everyone, I'm looking for an example of a city where a community bike shop handles all impounded bikes at a central location and then refurbishes and sells the ones that aren't claimed. I work on cycling issues in Vancouver and Victoria on the west coast of BC, Canada, and the current situation (where if the cops can't find the owner of a stolen they sell it and keep the money) is seriously messed up. I'd like to propose an alternative where a nonprofit could be set up to handle the whole impound process, and it'd be great if I could point to an example where it's already done this way.
Thanks, Andrea
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