The City of Airdrie is looking to reunite some two-wheelers with their two-legged owners.  

Each year Airdrie workers find bikes that have been forgotten, or abandoned, in parks and along pathways in the city and takes them to Airdrie Waste and Recycling for safekeeping.   Others are taken to the city by the RCMP after they recover them after they've been stolen.

So, how many bikes does the city get every year?  Waste and Recycling Education Coordinator Mara Pratt said, "Whoa....gosh....umm, lots," and laughs.  "We've been running this program for years.  When parks brings in, or the RCMP brings in bikes, we hold them for a minimum of 'X' number of days in order for people who've had their bike lost or stolen to get it back. Our dream is always to get that bike back to its owner and make sure that the theft isn't the end of it."

Pratt said they're trying to let people know that, even though their bike went missing or was stolen, it might not be gone altogether. "We'd like people to reach out and then we can return the bike to the original owner." 

Unfortunately, not many bikes actually are. 

"It's a sad number," Pratt bemoans. "I know bike theft is a big industry and it's a sad industry.  I mean hopefully the bikes we do find, maybe a kid just left it at the park and we can create that full cycle of getting it back to them.  I can't say that too many of them have been returned."

If the bikes are unclaimed by May 1st the city begins selling them off, along with other bikes which have been donated, so they can once again hit the trails.  The bikes are offered for a nominal fee.

If your bike has gone missing, either through theft or misplacement, you can email Waste and Recycling Services at waste.recycling@airdrie.ca.  Give them your name, address and a full description of your missing bike to see if the city has recovered it.

Comments? Questions? Story ideas? Email news@discoverairdrie.com 

 

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