Brussels’ warehouse for lost and stolen bikes bursting at the seams

To appreciate the number of Brussels’ bikes lost or stolen, all one needs to do is visit a warehouse in Schaerbeek where nearly a thousand bikes are waiting for be reunited with their owners. The capital’s location for wayward bikes is out of space, leaving officials scrambling to find alternatives. The depot, run by the organisation Cyclo, located on Chaussée de Louvain, saw 835 bikes arrive in the past year, with only 20 of them eventually claimed by their owners. Now, with no room the spare, Cyclo has received the go-ahead to move into an additional warehouse.

When stolen, or lost, bikes are found by police they are photographed and stored for up to three months to allow for rightful owners to retrieve their property. But once the three-month period is up all bikes are transferred to the depot where they await a new life. Bikes are repaired before being put back on the market for sale. Any profits from the bikes to goes back to funding the programme and repairs, as well as donations to public organisations.