If you ride your bike in New York City, you might think you’ve already dodged the parking hassle associated with driving a car. Unfortunately, many riders are finding that parking is an issue regardless of the vehicle. Throughout the city, abandoned and damaged bikes take up valuable bike racks and parking areas.

If you spot an abandoned bike, you have a few options:

• Map it! Several organizations host interactive websites and encourage people to map abandoned bike locations for mass reports to the city. Transportation Nation and the blog www.ibikenyc.com collect information about abandoned bikes; visit their websites for details about submitting. Transportation Nation recently reported almost 400 abandoned bikes to the city for removal.
• Recycle it! The newly launched pilot program Bike Rescue NYC transports and salvages abandoned bikes for recycling or reuse. The program utilizes a trained team of cyclists and workers and believes in honoring the dignity and individuality of every bicycle.
• Report it! If you prefer to keep it old school, you can report the bike directly to the Department of Sanitation by calling 311 with a full description and location.

If your own bike is ready to retire, consider donating it to an organization like Recycle-A-Bicycle, a non-profit that runs bicycle education and youth empowerment programs.

Photo: Transportation Nation