Graveyard of The Bikes: Aerial Photos of China’s Failed Share-Cycle Scheme Show Mountains of Damaged Bikes – Design You Trust — Design Daily Since 2007

Graveyard of The Bikes: Aerial Photos of China’s Failed Share-Cycle Scheme Show Mountains of Damaged Bikes


AFP

Handlebars tight in snaking rows of colour, thousands of abandoned bicycles line an open field outside the city of Shenyang, relics of a shared bike mania that has overwhelmed China’s cities. The turquoise, blue and yellow bicycles, arranged in long lines, some piled on top of each other, bear the logos of the companies that dominate China’s bike-sharing sector – Hellobike, Didi and Meituan.

Low cost-shared bikes, which users can unlock using apps and park virtually anywhere, burst onto Chinese streets in the middle of the last decade with investors rushing to fund bike startups like the now-defunct Ofo and Mobike.

Read previous posts here and here.

h/t: straitstimes


AFP

But the two-wheelers soon took over pavements and spilled over into bike lanes and streets, parked haphazardly by users who sometimes simply tossed the bikes into shrubbery, creating a headache for urban authorities and pedestrians.

Many bikes suffered damage or were stolen, while some were even repurposed into makeshift barricades when Covid-19 broke out last year.

The problem is a familiar one to cities around the world battling to round up stray bikes, from metro stations in Washington DC to the bottom of Melbourne’s river.


AFP

Aerial photographs from the suburbs of Shenyang, Liaoning province, show a bicycle graveyard, one of many which began appearing as early as 2018 as tech start-up darling Ofo imploded, defaulting on debts as its users claimed back rental deposits.

Mountains of damaged bikes belonging to other companies have also been discarded rather than repaired, in contrast to the “green” image usually associated with urban cycling.


AFP

The bikes now jostle for space on Chinese streets with hordes of shared electronic scooters, which have also made their appearance elsewhere in the world including Paris and California.

Chinese cities have vowed to curb the chaotic fleets of bikes, with Beijing saying it will remove 44,000 bikes from the city centre this year in order to cap bike numbers at under 800,000, according to state media.

If you want more awesome content, subscribe to Design You Trust Facebook page.

More Inspiring Stories

The Royal Observatory Greenwich Has Just Unveiled the Winners of The Coveted 2020 Astronomy Photographer of The Year Awards

"Transmetropolitan": Photographer Omi Kim Explores Neon Streets Of Cyberpunk Japan

It’s The United States Of Air-Merica

Photos Of Tokyo In The 1970s Seen Through The Eyes Of A Canadian Who Moved There At The Time

Black Model Recreates Famous Fashion Campaigns To Highlight Lack Of Diversity In Fashion Industry

Stunning Photos Of The Millions Of Fireflies Flutter In Mexican Forest

Victoria’s Secret Angel Candice Swanepoel Sensual Photoshoot for Prabal Gurung

Beautiful Cosplay Girls

Photographer Exposes The Truth Behind His 'Perfect' Photos

Astonishing Time-lapsed Landscapes

This Artist Skirts Instagram Nudity Rules By 'Turning Rear Into Scenic Landscapes'

Burning Man 2018 Mega-Post: Awesome Photos From The World’s Biggest And Craziest Festival

22 Rare Photos You’ll Never See In Textbooks

Scales Of Perception: "Megalophobia" By Mai Chaya

“The Lonely Astronaut”: Whimsical And Surreal Photography Series By Karen Jerzyk

The Art of Self-Expression on a Steel Pot: Vintage Photos Showing Graffiti on Soldiers’ Helmets During the Vietnam War

‘80s Style Double Exposure Portraits Of Pets With Their Owners By Danielle Spires

The Superb Atmospheric And Poetic Black & White Photo Artworks Of Gabriel Guerrero Caroca

Previous Generations Sure Knew a Thing or Two About Style

Urban Photography of Russian Cities Inspired by the Movie “Inception”

A Daredevil Aerial Walkway Over A Tea Park In China

Marvelous Beauty And Lifestyle Portraits By Consuelo Sorsoli

Elderly Couple Took the Same Photo Every Season but the Last One will Break Your Heart

Into the Wild with The World Nature Photography Award Winners

Moody Portrait Photography By The Russian Photographer Alexander Kurnosov

A Road From The Eye To The Heart: Ephemeral Tales Of A Dreamy Roaming In Stunning Photographs Of Vianditya Dewanata

2019 Irish Farmer Calendar Is Here!

Photographer Explores Abandoned Places At Night And Captures Them In The Most Colorful Way

New York City In 1980s Through Photographs By Janet Delany

These Photographs Of Fathers And Their Sons Reveal The Full Wonder Of Human Genes