The Audio Long Read From the archive: Bicycle graveyards: why do so many bikes end up underwater?
Jul 30, 2025
Explore the intriguing phenomenon of bicycles ending up underwater, delving into the cultural and social implications. Discover why urban landscapes like Paris and Amsterdam witness this curious trend, from accidents to vandalism. Uncover the complexities of dockless bike-sharing, where convenience meets privacy issues. Examine the rising struggle of e-scooter and e-bike vandalism and its impact on urban transport. Finally, envision a future where abandoned bikes become part of a creative urban landscape through recycling.
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Math Explains Bike Dumping
- The vast number of bikes in Amsterdam combined with extensive canals means bicycle dumping is mathematically inevitable.
- Waterways often serve as convenient dumpsters for unwanted bicycles in bike-friendly cities.
Tokyo Pond Bicycle Discovery
- Tokyo unexpectedly found dozens of bicycles in a major park pond while addressing invasive fish removal.
- Bicycle dumping in water was a hidden custom despite visible street abandonment complaints.
Global Rise of Bicycle Drowning
- Bicycle dumping in water is widespread globally, from New York to Britain and China, increasing with bike-share growth.
- This reflects complex cultural, social, and infrastructural urban dynamics around micromobility.
