Is this the future for Sydney and Melbourne? Shocking photos show bike share 'graveyards' in China

With the fourth bike sharing company entering the Australian market this month, residents of Melbourne and Sydney are starting to lose their patience with the rental bikes cluttering busy streets.

Mobike has become the latest company to unload the controversial new scheme across the country, following in the footsteps of oBike, Ofo and Reddygo.

But spare a thought for those living in some of China's largest cities with the booming bike-sharing industry reaching breaking point as leading companies line the streets with hundreds of thousands of bikes.

Shanghai struggles to keep on top of their bike-sharing problem. Source: Getty
Shanghai struggles to keep on top of their bike-sharing problem. Source: Getty
Dozens of 'bike graveyards' are popping up across all of China, including this inner-city site in Shanghai. Source: Getty
Dozens of 'bike graveyards' are popping up across all of China, including this inner-city site in Shanghai. Source: Getty

Remarkable images from Beijing and Shanghai reveal the escalating problem with a number of 'bike graveyards' popping up across the cities as the government cracks down on the escalating problem.

Thousands of unsupervised bikes found in inappropriate locations are taken off the streets and dumped in huge piles.

The cycle-for-hire start-ups allow users to unlock GPS-enabled bikes via a smartphone app, eliminating the need for a docking station and allows users to leave them wherever they wish.

One location in Beijing stretches for hundreds of metres filled with share bikes. Source: Getty
One location in Beijing stretches for hundreds of metres filled with share bikes. Source: Getty
One worker struggles to keep on top of the escalating number of bikes. Source: Getty
One worker struggles to keep on top of the escalating number of bikes. Source: Getty

The scheme has faced a strong backlash in Australia after bikes were left scattered across city streets in dangerous places, including up trees and flung onto roadways.

In September, around 40 oBikes were pulled out of the Yarra River but Chethan Rangaswamy, the marketing head of the company, is confident the scheme will not take the same route as China once Australians begin using the bikes in the correct manner.

“We are trying to raise awareness and we do believe we can change the mindset but it’s a slow process,’’ Mr Rangaswamy said in September.

With four dockless bike-sharing companies now operating in Australia, the country could follow suit. Source: Getty
With four dockless bike-sharing companies now operating in Australia, the country could follow suit. Source: Getty
This Shanghai site has thousands of bikes squeezed in as the government cracks down on the scheme. Source: Getty
This Shanghai site has thousands of bikes squeezed in as the government cracks down on the scheme. Source: Getty
Our goal is to create a safe and engaging place for users to connect over interests and passions. In order to improve our community experience, we are temporarily suspending article commenting

Latest stories

  • Liberals deserve no rating credit: Labor

    Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones is adamant that the former Morrison government deserves no credit for Australia maintaining its triple-A rating, saying Labor inherited an atrocious set of budget books.Global credit rating Moody's Investors Service affirmed Australia's triple-A rating on Tuesday, saying it expects its wealthy and resilient economy will continue to grow solidly in the medium term.

  • Australia's growing Indigenous identity

    A growing number of Australians are identifying as Indigenous, including an increasing number of older people who are for the first time confirming their cultural origins.Census data revealed on Tuesday that there are 812,728 people who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander in Australia.

  • Scottish govt eyes October 2023 referendum

    Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced plans for a second referendum to be held on Scottish independence in October next year, vowing to take legal action to ensure a vote if the United Kingdom government tries to block it.Sturgeon said the Scottish government, which is led by her pro-independence Scottish National Party, would publish a referendum bill later, outlining plans for the secession vote to take place on October 19, 2023.

  • Ex-AFL star Fisher's bail decision delayed

    A retired AFL star accused of trafficking $230,000 worth of drugs should be bailed so he can address his escalating addiction, his lawyer says.Sam Fisher, 39, applied for bail in Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday after he was last month charged under a joint investigation between West Australian and Victorian detectives.

  • Police take elderly couple into custody for allegedly attending protest

    A NSW police officer could be heard saying the couple had been seen at a protest the previous day. The arrest took place close to Hyde Park, where the couple had been sitting and speaking to media. Source: Yahoo

  • What does equity in schools look like? And how is it tied to growing teacher shortages?

    ShutterstockWhen Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared victory on election night, he said he wanted to unite Australians around “our shared values of fairness and opportunity, and hard work and kindness to those in need”. So what would this look like in Australian schools? Schools, after all, are where a society that believes in fairness and opportunity must begin. Equity involves more than fairly funding schools. It is about matching teachers’ passion with the respect, time, resources and co

  • France urges masks on public transport

    People in France should start wearing masks again in crowded areas, especially in public transport, as the country has to deal with a new wave of COVID-19 infections fuelled by new variants of the disease, Health Minister Brigitte Bourguignon says."I'm not saying it should be mandatory but I do ask the French people to put the mask on in public transport," she told RTL, adding it was a "civic duty" to do so.

  • Climate activist has 'no regrets' about causing chaos in Sydney

    The woman chained herself to her car during peak hour traffic. Source: The Project 

  • Russian missiles hit Ukrainian mall

    Firefighters and soldiers are searching for survivors in the rubble of a shopping mall in central Ukraine after a Russian missile strike killed at least 18 people in an attack condemned by the United Nations and the West.More than 1000 people were inside when two Russian missiles slammed into the mall in Kremenchuk, about 300km southeast of the capital Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

  • Export restrictions push up food prices

    Export restrictions in about 24 countries globally are pushing up prices and increasing food insecurity, according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences.The latest ABARES Insights report showed food prices have increased 65 per cent in the past two years, and reached their highest level since October 2012.

  • Mite could indirectly threaten native bees

    Native bees and plants could suffer an indirect hit from the varroa mite if it gets away in Australia, an expert warns.Biosecurity officials have imposed a strict ban on the movement of bees and hives in NSW after an outbreak of the parasite near the Port of Newcastle.

  • Moore, Toledo claim big WSL wins in Brazil

    Five-time world champion Carissa Moore has booked her spot in the World Surf League finals with a heroic win in Brazil to further extend her lead in the rankings over Australian Stephanie Gilmore.Moore left it late to edge France's Johanne Defay in the final near Rio de Janeiro, marking the 25th tour victory of her career.

  • SA company fined over power rules breach

    The operator of South Australia's Tesla big battery has been fined $900,000 after a software glitch left it unable to help stabilise the grid.Hornsdale Power Reserve (HPR) was ordered on Tuesday to pay the penalty after being taken to the Federal Court by the Australian Energy Regulator.

  • Kremlin rejects debt default claims

    The Kremlin has rejected claims it has defaulted on its external debt for the first time in more than a century, after a grace period on $US100 million ($144 million) interest payments ran out.In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia made bond payments due in May but the fact they had been blocked by Euroclear because of Western sanctions on Russia was "not our problem".

  • $275pw Bondi room slammed over 'joke' feature

    The property is within walking distance of popular shops, cafes and restaurants, but people can't look past one major drawback. Find out what it is.

  • First Nations summit sets development path

    First Nations leaders have "a huge sense of optimism" that Australia can break from the past, backed by a new blueprint for economic development."The current approach is insufficient," Professor Peter Yu, a Yawuru man from Broome in the Kimberley region, told AAP.

  • Industry slams grid transmission proposals

    Energy regulators have been told to junk "overly complicated" proposals on transmission access and adjust to the new federal government's $20 billion plan for the electricity grid.Australia's largest generator and emitter AGL says Labor's Rewiring the Nation policy will alleviate many of the short-term issues previously identified by regulators.

  • Taliban to hold major Afghanistan meeting

    Thousands of religious scholars and ethnic leaders from across Afghanistan will gather this week to discuss key issues for the first time since the Taliban took power last year, as the group faced calls to ensure the meeting included women."Very soon a great gathering will be held in Kabul," Taliban administration spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said, adding that religious scholars and ethnic leaders from all provinces would participate in the meeting which clerics had called for.

  • No punishment for swastika tic-tac-toe

    A Melbourne student caught playing tic-tac-toe using swastikas was not punished by the school because it didn't happen in front of Jewish students, a court has been told.Brighton Secondary College principal Richard Minack has been giving evidence before a trial brought by five former students, who allege they suffered years of discrimination and bullying at the school.

  • China slashes visitor quarantine times

    China has slashed the quarantine time for inbound travellers by half in a major easing of one of the world's strictest COVID-19 curbs, which have deterred travel in and out of the country since 2020.Quarantine at centralised facilities has been cut to seven days from 14, and subsequent at-home health monitoring has been reduced to three days from seven, the National Health Commission said in a statement.