More than 1,000 shared bikes have been dredged up from Beijing river in one year

Sometimes, workers pull out as many as 50 a day

Not only are shared bicycles clogging up China’s sidewalks and vacant lots, but apparently its urban waterways as well.

A 65-year-old man surnamed Li and his coworker, a 52-year-old surnamed Zhao, both work in Beijing’s Chaoyang District, charged with protecting and cleaning the district’s rivers and creeks. With the rise of bicycle sharing in China, their job has become much harder.

On the day they were visited by local reporters, the pair pulled at least 43 shared bikes from the Ba River. They noted that dredging dozens of bicycles from a river makes for a demanding day’s work.

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A worker estimated that since the start of Chinese New Year last year, at least 1,000 shared bikes had been dredged from the Ba River. Every day, workers are specially assigned to the task, sometimes pulling out as many as 50 bicycles in a day.

The report, which was relayed by news portal NetEase, gives two possible reasons for why so many shared bikes are ending up in the water: 1) Riders with a selfish and petty psychology. 2) Unlicensed taxi and motorcycle taxi drivers who are trying to cut down on competition.

We’re starting to think that China’s shared bike explosion may not have been the best thing for the environment.

[Images via NetEase]