There were more copies of the messages than expected, said the author of the initiative, Villiams Kursītis-Vrobļevskis, Neighbourhood Coordinator of the Riga Neighbourhood Residents' Centre, Centre Point.
"When you start to identify these bicycles, it's actually very easy to tell that a particular bike has been left for a long time. You can see that the tires are flat or something is broken. There have also been examples that the frames have been robbed down to the last bolt, with only the frame left. I have identified 121 such bicycles and I will re-inspect them at the end of July," said Villiams Kursītis-Vrobļevskis.
Some of these have been removed within a few weeks.
But what to do with the wrecked bikes that are standing still is not yet clear.
In the Netherlands, in large cities, bicycles that have been abandoned for a long time are removed and stored for redemption. In Riga, a similar approach could be envisaged.
The company Rīgas Satiksme has installed bike racks in the capital on behalf of the municipality, but neither it nor the responsible department monitors them. Currently, there is no definition of who has the right to cut the locks of the bike wrecks and remove them, explained Kaspars Ķikuts, Chief of the Riga Municipal Police Center Department.
"When we receive such information, we react, we see if it is true. If possible, we try to find out if the bike is registered, but registration of bicycles is not compulsory, so a lot of these bicycles are not registered and we have no one to ask to move the bike or otherwise," said Kaspars Ķikuts.
The municipal police will be ready to help solve the problem of abandoned bicycles in Riga once the relevant regulations are in place and the police are delegated to participate. However, Ķikuts is skeptical about the involvement of police officers specifically in the removal of bike wrecks.
"I also don't see why a police officer should be involved in removing bicycles from the streets. That could probably be done by another municipal official. But of course, it is up to the legislator," said Kaspars Ķikuts.
The survey of abandoned bicycles, which started this summer, will not be a one-off event, Kursītis-Vrobļevskis promised. However, a working group with representatives of City Council departments, municipal police and NGOs will look for ways to continue tackling bike wrecks in Riga.
"The procedure will definitely stay like this - abandoned bikes will be marked with information stickers. This is how it works in several European cities. I would like to say that the Riga municipal police could be responsible for this. But there are still many aspects to be looked at on our municipal side: who will transport the abandoned bicycles, and where they will be stored. It is quite unwieldy to introduce new procedures in the City Council and to put someone in charge of something," said Kursītis-Vrobļevskis.
The plan is to resolve these issues and remove the abandoned bicycles already identified from Riga's streets by next spring.
