Dumped share bikes taken from Melbourne’s streets and impounded

ABANDONED oBikes are being taken from Melbourne’s streets and impounded, as the Lord Mayor threatens “serious action” if the dockless share bikes don’t stop cluttering the city’s streets.

oBikes are causing "visual pollution" on the streets of Melbourne.

MELBOURNE council officers have started confiscating oBikes that have been scattered around the city.

Council staff started on Friday wrapping the dockless share bikes with yellow and black tape, with some have already been taken to the Dynon Rd waste transfer station.

THREAT TO BAN BIKES

CONCERN OVER OBIKE PRICING

OBIKE DUMPED ON RAFT IN ALBERT PARK LAKE

Lord Mayor Robert Doyle described the bikes as “urban clutter’’ and said that the council had powers to remove obstruction.

“We have decided we will start impounding these bikes,” Cr Doyle said.

Cr Doyle said he was still talking to the operators of the shared bicycle scheme.

An oBike abandoned in a tree in Prahran. Pic: Supplied

“If we can’t come to an agreement with the proprietors of o-bike then we will take pretty serious action and at the moment, we are in the business of not just putting tape around them as urban clutter or as waste but the next step will be taking them away and impounding them,’’ Cr Doyle told 3AW.

Obikes or modern art? 😑 #obikes @3AW693 https://t.co/UboXn5K3oc pic.twitter.com/kq1ONIFsep

— Bridget Davies (@_bridgetdavies) September 4, 2017

I heard the OBike is a big hit in Melbourne.
No wonder, I saw this one at Southbank and they even give you a helmet, which is nice. pic.twitter.com/9aLjP98YHw

— Marcus (@H20ohh) September 2, 2017

oBike operators will have to pay $50 to recover the bicycles from the waste management centre at Dynon Rd.

The bikes in the city were taped off with the words “illegally dumped rubbish under investigation”.

OMG an Obike in @joy949 reception,i came here for @satmagjoy949 and I can't escape those damm bikes! @lordmayormelb pic.twitter.com/kJDyiq9SE4

— david mccarthy (@DavidDmacca) September 2, 2017

Cr Doyle said the council was working with oBike management and compared the situation to the collection and use of shopping trolleys.

“We are not against cycling, that’s not the point,” he said.

'lllegally dumped' OBike 'under investigation #livability @nikdow pic.twitter.com/Xu0ybGDjJ3

— Geoff Browne (@CubisticNevada) September 1, 2017

The Singapore-based company launched in June, starting in Melbourne’s CBD but has spread to most inner-city suburbs.

Since then, many residents have vented their frustration with the abandoned bikes, taking to social media with images of the bicycles.

Bike-friendly Amsterdam last month banned the dockless bikes because they were clogging up parking spaces.

oBike stranded on top of portable toilets in Prahran. Pic: imgur

oBike Australia marketing head Chethan Rangaswamy has said he hoped to work with the council to find a solution.

Mr Rangaswamy said most oBikers were responsible users.

“Isolated incidents of unsafe parking and vandalism get reported via our feedback channels, our maintenance and services team will spring into action to address them in a timely manner,’’ he said.

The scheme has about 1250 bikes in circulation, including 500 in the City of Melbourne municipality.

“Smart dockless bike sharing as means of public transportation is a new concept in Australia and we are going through teething problems.

“Public awareness regarding the benefits of bike-sharing is key to overcome these challenges.’’

“oBike is in a constructive and open dialogue with the City of Melbourne to address these issues of isolated incidents as well as enforcing strict standards of practice and operational guidelines for bike-sharing operators.’’

He urged Melburnians to give dockless bike-sharing “a fair go”.

@IanRoyall