Abandoned bikes

Process before removal

Our bike stores are intended for day-to-day commuters and should not be used for long-term storage.

Bikes which appear to have been abandoned will be tagged with a notice advising that if the bike is not claimed within two weeks it will be uplifted. Locks will be cut and removed if necessary.

The owners of bikes which have wrongly been identified as abandoned are asked to contact the Transport and Parking Office.

Process after removal

Bikes which have not been claimed after two weeks will be presumed to be abandoned. They will be removed by the University and put into storage on behalf of Police Scotland.

The University will advise Police Scotland of the full details of all bikes removed.

The bikes will remain in storage for a period of not less than two months to allow adequate time for owners to come forward and claim their bike.

After two months have passed, the University will notify Police Scotland and check if they have received any claims of ownership.

If no claims of ownership are received, then ownership of the bikes will default to Police Scotland under the terms of Sections 68 and 70 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982. Police Scotland have agreed to automatically assign all rights of ownership of any abandoned bikes left on University property to the University, who will dispose of the bikes as they see fit. Usually bikes are donated to The Bike Station for recycling.

The process of removing abandoned bikes will be ongoing. If you are aware of a bike which appears to have been abandoned please get in touch with the Transport and Parking Office.