Nearly 2,000 bikes scattered in Seattle share program with many irresponsibly parked

Bikes connected to new share systems in Seattle are being parked irresponsibly throughout the city with minimal enforcement from the city and startup companies.

RELATED: 3 days commuting to work using bike share

Following the failed Pronto bike system that cost the city millions, Seattle leaders welcomed free-floating bike share companies LimeBike and Spin about a month ago in a pilot program. A third one – startup ofo – is about to kick off Thursday.

Unlike Pronto, where cyclists had to rent and return bikes at kiosks, this free-floating system make it easy for riders to secure a bike nearby through an app and then leave it wherever their journey ends.

The 2,000 free-floating share bikes throughout the city are undoubtedly popular among hundreds of commuters – with many riders sharing their enthusiasm for the program on social media.

But the bikes are being parked everywhere.

As this is par for the course with free-floating systems – and even with vehicle sharing systems like Car2Go –KIRO 7 News asked questions about regulations when the bikes began blocking right-of-ways, dotted city park lawns, and created possible accessibility issues on sidewalks.

Here’s what we learned.

The City of Seattle issued regulations, but how are they being enforced?

KIRO 7 News reached out to the Department of Transportation. Spokesman Norm Mah said it’s up to the bike share operator to inform the customer on how to park a bicycle properly in accordance with city rules.

LimeBike and Spin agreed to this by obtaining a permit from the city to run their business, Mah said.

The City of Seattle has an eight-page document on how cyclists should properly park when using free floating bike systems. Read the permit requirements here.

According to that document, bicycles shouldn’t be left at corners of sidewalks and obstruct pathways for pedestrians. But some share cyclists are doing just that, which is not only in violation of rules in the company’s permit requirements, but also violates the Seattle Municipal Code.

Seattle Municipal Code states, “No person shall stop, stand or park a vehicle on or over a sidewalk, whether constructed or not.”

City law is clear about immovable objects such as parked cars, but police said it’s not clear that a bike is illegal under that section of the Seattle Municipal Code. It’s certainly not a case in which they’d write a ticket.

“Typically, we just pick it up and move it,” Seattle Police Sgt. Sean Whitcomb said of bikes in the middle of the sidewalk.

Even if police were to give a ticket, they’d need clear evidence of a rider who left the bike improperly.

Mah said the city has not received complaints on this issue, but if they do, then the city has the authority to remove a bike parked in same place for seven days. Bikes removed by City to Seattle crews are taken to a city facility for storage at the expense of the bike share operator.

But with the popularity of the bike program, many bikes do not stay parked incorrectly parked for more than a few hours.

“If a citizen contacts us and there’s a bike left in the right-of-way, we really would, then contact the bike share operator to let them know,” Mah told KIRO 7. “We want to be able to work with the bike share operators for compliance.”

Seattle residents can also complain to the companies about incorrectly parked bikes by calling the number on the bikes, which can be found on top tube of the bike between the saddle and the handle bars.

Do these companies penalize people parking irresponsibly?

Despite urging riders to “park responsibility” on their apps and websites, LimeBike and Spin are not currently penalizing riders who park incorrectly. But company leaders take the concern seriously.

Spin officials told KIRO7 that they study the data that tracks the whereabouts of their bikes to help better service the community, which could include how they could better enforce proper parking.

Penalties are something to consider, “especially for someone who is misusing the system,” Spin CEO Derrick Ko told KIRO 7 News. LimeBike Seattle general manager Dan Stone said the company is working to better educate its customers on where to park at the end of a ride.

“Our bikes should not be hindering accessibility in any way,” he said. “We very much appreciate the feedback we’ve been getting from users and concerned citizens to let us know where this may have occurred so we can work to correct the issue, both with our local operations team and through customer education of the new dockless bike share model.”

Is Seattle going to change parking regulations?

The pilot program, which is midway through, is going well, according to Mah.

KIRO 7 reached out to both LimeBike and Spin about active users in Seattle, but we are still waiting to hear back. LimeBike wrote on its blog in early August that within the first week of the company’s launch, about 10,000 people went on rides with its bikes.

Mah reports that the city is monitoring the pilot and will evaluate it at the end of the six-month program to determine what works best for Seattle.

According to the permit, Seattle retains right to create geo-fenced areas where bikes can park.

The programs don’t require city funding, according to Mah.

How do I park my bike correctly?

Bikes should park within the furniture zone of a sidewalk, which is the space between the right-of-way of pedestrians and the street where bike racks are often found.

Here are some other rules rides should keep in mind when parking:

• Simply, the sidewalk where you walk is not permitted parking.
• Bicycles should be parked upright
• Bicycles should not be left in city parks’ greenspaces
• Do not park on sidewalk corners
• Consider parking the bike near a bike rack

You can find a Seattle right-of-way manual on the City of Seattle website here. It outlines specifics about landscape, furniture, pedestrian, and frontage zones.

Companies like LimeBike strongly encourage parking bicycle within codes because that’s how free-floating systems stay dockless.

By Ashli Blow, KIRO 7