Why Are So Many Bikes Being Dumped In The Illinois Area Of This Lake?

A weird trend is on the uptick in the Chicago area.

NBC Chicago says that volunteer groups have recently pulled out 53 Divvy bikes from Lake Michigan around the Chicago shore.

It may not get any better either, since they're popular during Lollapalooza, which was this last weekend.

Chicago resident Glenn Rischke told the outlet (before Lolla):

In 5 outings we’ve pulled 53 bikes...in maybe 2,000 yards of lakefront

Divvy bikes are e-bikes and the concern is what the batteries can leak into the drinking water in Lake Michigan.

The Divvy bikes system is run by the Chicago Department of Transportation and Lyft. There's a paved path along the lakefront for the bikes. They said:

We evaluate each bike that comes out of the water to see if it can return to the fleet or if there are parts that can be re-used on other bikes. The city is working with Lyft, the divvy operator, to improve rebalancing and increase valet services along the lakefront.

Lolla & Divvy

Lollapalooza has teamed up with Divvy in years past to help folks bike to the festival. Even with over 800 Divvy stations and 15,000 bikes available, it's hard to find an available bike during Lolla. The festival wrapped up just yesterday so there are no stats yet on how many Divvy bikes were rented out (or returned). It wouldn't be surprising at all if volunteers fish more bikes out of the lake now that the festival is done.

If you happen to find a Divvy bike in the lake next time you're walking around Chicago's lakefront, call 311.