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Bicycle Redistribution

18:53 / 29.08.02

A one-man "yellow bike" project is spreading chaos through the Philadelphia suburbs.

Officers in both Lower Moreland and Upper Moreland reported bike-swapping incidents this month in which someone has stolen a bike - usually unattended in a driveway or open garage - and left a bike the victims have never seen before in its place.

Lower Moreland reported three such incidents in August and Upper Moreland reported one.

"I actually think we've had more than that," said Lower Moreland Detective Rick Small. "It had been going on sporadically during the spring of this year, but they've become more aggressive this summer."

Figuring that the second bikes had been stolen as well, police have confiscated the abandoned bikes. In some cases, the stolen bikes are pricier than the ones left behind, but Small said it does not seem to be a case where a thief is simply upgrading.

"There's really no rhyme or reason," he said. "It may be that one bike catches their eye that they like better. We are somewhat puzzled on this."

Our Lady of The Two Towers

19:11 / 29.08.02

Ha ha! I Like!

19:38 / 29.08.02

At least they leave behind similar models...imagine having your £1000 pound mountain bike being replaced by a £5 scrapheap.

And as for reporting the crime...if you suddenly ended up with a pricier bike, would you call the police?

19:40 / 29.08.02

Figuring that the second bikes had been stolen as well, police have confiscated the abandoned bikes.

That's a bit of a bastard thing to do, really. "Hmm, an apparently victimless crime... better make sure someone gets it..."

19:09 / 30.08.02

that reminds me. i dont know if any other Brighton-'lithers remember this, but a while ago a couple of old broken bikes were left chained against an old fence in the centre of town. nothing unusual about that, except that over the next month or so more and more bikes, not just broken ones appeared, creating a large pile wich just got bigger and bigger, then another stack was formed next to it which continue to grow. the wierd thing was that most of the bikes werent even chained up.

Then one day they all just disapeared.

00:19 / 18.09.03

Actually, I am looking for a beach cruiser, the kind you can rent on Venice boardwalk. Why not just rent one, you say, so cheap at $3/hr. It's because I fear the ass-germs of the unwashed Venice Beach-going public.

08:17 / 18.09.03

In Cambridge they had a green bike scheme for a while whereby all the unclaimed stolen bikes that the police had were painted green and distributed about the city in various different bike 'parks'. The idea was you could just take a bike when you wanted to go somewhere and then just leave it for the next person when you'd finished.

I thought it was a really good idea but sadly after only a month or so most of the bikes had been thrown in the river.

09:27 / 18.09.03

This is all rather reminiscent of the communal bicycle thingy in Amsterdam in the '60s, as immortalised in Tomorrow's 1967 hit single 'My White Bicycle'..

- pop historian Rizla

18:17 / 18.09.03

Actually, the Dutch thing is still going on, I think. The Yellow Bike.