NYC bikes now must be moved weekly to avoid being towed
Parking your bike in New York City is about to have an expiration date.
New terms from the NYC Department of Transportation require that all bikes parked on a free public rack can’t linger for more than seven days. That is, you’ll have to move your bike every week to avoid the risk of it getting marked as abandoned and removed.
An abandoned bike is considered “a usable bike that is locked to a public bike rack for more than seven consecutive days” according to the city, and anyone can report an abandoned bike and request removal to free up space on a public rack. Rude? Kind of.
Once a bike is spotted as abandoned or reported as abandoned, NYC DOT will tag bikes. If a tag remains on a bike for longer than seven days, NYPD, NYC DOT, or designated representatives can remove and confiscate that bike. If there’s a tag on your bike, can you technically cut off the tag and keep your bike in place? Sure.
Once a bike is tagged for over a week, the local NYPD precinct near where the bike was parked will store the bike for 30 days. If the bike isn’t claimed by then, it will be moved to the NYPD Property Clerk. From there, you can request return or property, or you may never see your bike again.
Missing bike? You’ll have to retrieve it from the NYPD. If you’re going away for longer than a week, an interactive map can help you find public parking shelters for safer longterm storage.