Chinese hire bikes dumped in their hundreds on city streets

Piles of used hire bikes litter the streets of Shenzhen

Hundreds of rented bikes are piled up in the streets of Shenzhen

Hundreds of hire bikes have piled up on the streets of one Chinese city after being dumped by users.

The problem has occurred in the southern city of Shenzhen, with pictures showing more than 500 brightly-coloured bicycles piled up at the sides of roads.

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The bikes belong to a number of competing bike sharing companies, which have set up smartphone apps that enable people to rent bikes at the prod of a screen.

However, the problem is that many users have simply abandoned their bikes at the side of the road, with the piles either as riders dumped the bikes or as local authorities attempted to clear the narrow streets.

Speaking to the Southern Metropolis Daily newspaper, a representative in the city congress called on the city to step-up regulation of the bike sharing companies.

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Local residents, however, blamed the users of the bike sharing apps.

"Some people these days just have really bad character," said one local man. "When they’re done using [the bike] they just throw it away somewhere, because they’ve already paid."

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Henry Robertshaw began his time at Cycling Weekly working with the tech team, writing reviews, buying guides and appearing in videos advising on how to dress for the seasons. He later moved over to the news team, where his work focused on the professional peloton as well as legislation and provision for cycling. He's since moved his career in a new direction, with a role at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.