Bad luck, bike away: Amstelveen cleans up ‘orphaned bicycles’ at bus station

Anyone who still has a bicycle at the Amstelveen bus station and does not want to lose it should hurry. This week the municipality will clear away all ‘orphan bicycles’, bicycles that have been parked in the bicycle sheds for too long.

The municipality started putting warnings on suspected orphaned bicycles in November. This gave owners a month to remove their bicycles.

Even after removal, people can still save their bicycle. The bicycles are stored for 13 weeks at a municipal location on Sportlaan. A collection appointment can be made via the Fixi reporting system. It costs 25 euros in administration costs to get your bicycle back. Bicycles that are not collected will be cleared or given a new owner via Ons Tweede Thuis or other aid organizations.

Deferred maintenance

According to Alderman Herbert Raat (Traffic), the clean-up campaign has everything to do with overdue maintenance of the bus station. “It is currently not a calling card for Amstelveen and its current state does not contribute to the social sense of safety.”

In addition to removing abandoned bicycles, the municipality is also trying to tackle pigeon nuisance. Amstelveen also has the bus station hosed down more often. The bicycle sheds on the west side of the bus station will be covered and the space under the entrance and exit will be closed to prevent urination. Passengers in urgent need can go to the toilets in the middle of the station. They will receive new stickers to clarify this.

Amstelveen residents often comment on the cold appearance of the bus station and the adjacent Stadshart shopping center. For this reason, the municipality is working on a plan to make the City Center more lively.

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