Pile Of Abandoned Ofo Bikes Draws Ire From Mayor, Dallasites

DALLAS, TX — Ofo, one of the five dockless bicycle companies that brought its wheeled wares to Dallas' streets (and sidewalks and waterways and, in one odd instance, a power pole) in 2017, has drawn criticism after a photo surfaced of seemingly thousands of the company's trademark yellow bicycles piled up and abandoned at a recycling facility in Dallas.

The company first announced it would be pulling out of the Dallas market in July after the city established a permitting process for ofo and other similar companies. The company's general manager in Texas, Everett Weiler, told the Dallas Observer the $21 per-bike permit fee was too high.

"...we will not be seeking a permit to operate in Dallas, and we thank the city for allowing us to introduce bike share to millions of people in Texas." Weiler told The Observer, in part.

But on Sunday, August 5, a Dallas resident captured the now locally-viral photo and shared it in a Facebook group titled "Deep Ellum Community Watch," a group where controversy is often stirred, as evidenced by the recent debacle surrounding a developer who painted over a beloved mural.

The post immediately garnered backlash, with one Facebook user writing, "Seriously! What a huge waste! These could have been made into bikes for the less fortunate," another writing, "is there no option to repurpose the bicycles for kids in need?" and another, "Glad to see them go. This shows the company cared about money only could have given to those who needed one."

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Ofo told the Dallas Morning News that the bikes were being recycled. The Beijing-based company also said bikes in good condition were donated to organizations like City Square and Bikes for Tykes.

"As we wind down select markets, we remain committed to environmental sustainability," Ofo told the newspaper in a statement.

A spokesperson for the recycling facility where the bikes were found told The News that the facility "purchased the irreparable bikes as scrap metal."

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings seemed to disagree with the notion that recycling the bikes was in the city's best interest, writing a simple "terrible" on Twitter, accompanied by a photo of the pile of discarded bicycles.

Locals are no strangers to the urban litter often left behind by bike share companies.

In January, Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax issued a statement warning the city would be "left with no choice but to begin removing bicycles in its rights of way, sidewalks, trails and/or trailheads that are identified as obstructions or hazards" if a list of demands was not met by Feb. 9.

Rawlings decried the disorganization in January, saying in a radio interview on The Ticket's morning show, "Dunham and Miller," that he believes local government should play a role in managing the bicycle litter, The Dallas Morning News reported.

"We're going through a stage of innovation here," Rawlings said. "The key is, can we learn from it quick enough and kinda get it back to a manageable number? I think citizens want more walkability, they want more bikeability, more bike lanes. We need to do that. But there is a role for government in here."

Rawlings told Dallas Morning News columnist Robert Wilonsky on Monday that he feels ofo chose to abandon its plan to improve local transportation and, instead, tossed it aside when faced with an obstacle.

"They were disingenuous and didn't want to work with the city to create a more bikeable city," Rawlings told Wilonsky. "They wanted to take what they could, and when it didn't work out, throw it in the trash bin. I am sad about that, because there are a lot of kids who could be riding those bikes."

Lead image via Shutterstock