Scrap bikes in Saxony: Cities dispose of hundreds of cosmetic defects!

Scrap bikes in Saxony: Cities dispose of hundreds of cosmetic defects!

There's a lot of rumblings in Saxony: more and more cities have to deal with an urgent problem - junk bicycles! Municipalities are struggling to dispose of simple but often overlooked bike corpses in the cityscape. Loud Borken newspaper In 2022 alone, a total of 558 bicycles had to be disposed of in the major cities of Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz, which were obviously left behind by their owners. Leipzig tops the list: 499 scrap bicycles were removed here, followed by Dresden with 37 and Chemnitz, where only 22 bicycles were removed.

Why is it that many two-wheelers now lead a shadowy existence off the roads? The main train stations in Leipzig and Chemnitz as well as the two long-distance train stations in Dresden have turned out to be hotspots for these unpleasant legacies. However, a flat wheel alone is not enough to count a bicycle as scrap, as experts emphasize. There must also be other significant defects for municipalities to classify these bicycles as unsafe for traffic. But if the bike is classified as scrap, it becomes expensive for the municipalities. In Chemnitz, for example, removing an unsecured bike costs around 75 euros, while a connected bike costs 150 euros.

Disposal costs in focus

The financial impact should not be underestimated. In Dresden, the costs for disposal are around 150 euros per bicycle. These expenses are putting pressure on the coffers, especially considering that the city will need staff to organize several elections in 2024. Nevertheless, there was no space left for the disposal of scrap bicycles, which increased again significantly to 180 bikes in 2023.

But in Leipzig and Chemnitz too, people not only keep an eye on bicycles, but also other non-operational vehicles. In Leipzig, an average of 100 other unused vehicles, such as mopeds or vans, have to be disposed of every year. Chemnitz reported 73 such vehicles last year, and the statistics show that the pressure on municipalities with regard to disposal obligations has increased in recent years, not least because the number of proceedings for unregistered cars on public streets continues to rise - 669 in Dresden alone.

What citizens should know

In Berlin, the Berliner Stadtreinigungsbetriebe (BSR) or other contracted companies are responsible for the disposal of abandoned bicycles on public streets. In this country there are clear regulations about how waste should be dealt with. On undeveloped private land, environmental authorities take care of the problem, while on built-up land, the district housing inspectorates are responsible. This shows that the problem is acutely relevant not only in Saxony, but also in other regions.

Citizens who are confronted with unwanted bicycles on their streets or squares can report them either by telephone, in writing or electronically. This report requires some details such as location, time and type of deposit. If you know the person responsible, you should also add their details. The best part? Registration is free of charge for citizens, but could incur costs for the perpetrator if found.

In summary, one thing is certain: Disposing of scrap bicycles is a costly and challenging task for many municipalities that needs to be mastered - and the bicycle boom is unlikely to stop any time soon. In view of this issue, appropriate measures should also be developed to deal with the increasing number of unused bikes.