Bikes that are part of the ValleyBike share initiative in Holyoke, Massachusetts, are being vandalized, according to city officials.
The city received reports of four bikes being thrown into Holyoke's canal as well as bikes not being returned at the appropriate time and left abandoned. The report also notes that fake credit card accounts were created to rent the bikes.
Ileana Carrion, Holyoke's senior project manager, said the vandalism started a few weeks ago.
"It's a really awful situation because these bikes are city owned and what we want to do is make it a resource for people," Carrion said. "A lot of people use valley bikes to get to work, to get to groceries, to go out, to see family, to see friends. So it's really a wonderful program, but there's been a lot of mistreatment of it."
Carrion said this could lead to a reduction in the number of bikes and their hours of usage in the city. She said the city notified Holyoke police about the situation, but that no active investigation has yet taken place.
ValleyBike is a regional program that currently comprises a consortium of eight towns along with the University of Massachusetts Amherst. There are about 750 bikes system-wide. Holyoke owns 12 stations and about 115 bikes.
Carolyn Misch is the community lead for ValleyBike and the director of Northampton's Office of Planning and Sustainability.
"We are working with the mayor's office there and the planning and economic development office to evaluate several strategies to elevate the awareness of the bike share program," Misch said.
In Springfield, a city spokesperson said they have not seen any ValleyBike vandalism and that "there are live camera feeds at the locations where ValleyBike stations are installed."
