Reader subframe poses something of a moral quandary:
What do you do when there’s a cool bike locked up around the corner from your house for like 6 months?
It is pretty clear it’s been abandoned/forgotten. I’m certainly not about to steal a bike, although if I knew who’s it was I’d offer em money for it. Somebody WILL steal it eventually though, I’m sure.
I’d put up a post on CL, but that might simply alert thieves to a bike that’s ripe for stealing.
What do you do?
Start adorning the bike with tie-on photos, ribbons, balloons, scarves, etc. The owner might get back from their 6-month sabbatical in India and be delighted/learn a lesson about what happens when s/he leaves beautiful things on the sidewalk. (aka DON’T STEAL IT!)
The lock seems to be evidence that the true has no intent to abdandon the bike, but six months is a long time. I would call the cops and ask them what to do.
er, true owner, I mean.
DON’T STEAL IT
i like the idea of knitting it a scarf
steal it
it is abandoned
[...] Abandoned Cool Bike Etiquette [...]
Maybe you should cut the lock and start using it, but always lock it up in the same place as before. That way if the person does come back, no harm has really been done?