Some research on bike racks turns up a little information

Just noticed on the CITYRACKS page of the DoT that while "[t]he City assumes responsibility for the rack but not the bicycles parked at it", there is a repair form (pdf) which might help get some of the dead bikes removed. Is a rack full of rusting bikes in need of repair? It's just the sort of beureaucratic misuse of words that gives one hope.


"The City of New York has no policy on removing abandoned bicycles."

Transportation Alternatives says

The City of New York needs to issue a policy statement affirming that it is not illegal to lock a bicycle to a street sign or lamppost, bus stop pole or parking meter, so long as the parked bicycle does not interfere with the fixture’s operation. [...] The Fire, Parks, Police, Sanitation and Transportation Departments and MTA need to agree on a standard policy for identifying, tagging and removing abandoned bicycles and for giving bike owners an opportunity to reclaim them.