How Bologna deals with abandoned bicycles

Such a common litter on this university town’s streets that it even has its own name

Bologna is famous for being the home of two things: the oldest university in Europe and the ‘ravaldoni’. The second one might be a head-scratcher for those unfamiliar with the local scene, so here is a clue, the name refers to abandoned bicycles in any state of disrepair, usually in such a condition that a bike mechanic would not even look at them.

City authorities have started dealing with this unsightly nuisance and once again there is a public notice calling for associations to apply for the work of collecting ‘ravaldoni’ and salvaging whatever useful parts might be left on them, helping to clean up the urban environment in the process and engendering a mentality of reuse and recycling in the field of sustainable mobility.

The initiative also has a social dimension

Seeing as it is that bicycles are considered someone’s private property there is an administrative process that has been established for the correct removal of the rusty two-wheelers from public spaces.

First, a warning notice will be placed for the eventual owners to remove them or dispose of them and a 10-day waiting period ensues. If no action is taken, then the company working on the collection of the mobility devices will collect them and deliver them to its premises where they will stay for another 10 days.

The first 5 days is again to give the owners a chance to claim their bikes, the subsequent 5 days are used for evaluation of the mobility devices in terms of whether any of their parts can be salvaged and reused. After that, the bicycles will be sent for scrap and demolished.

The parts which are salvaged will be used for the repair for bicycles to be used by people in vulnerable conditions thus giving the initiative a social aspect.