Summary Abandoned bicycles are bicycles parked in public spaces without having been used for a long time. The structural removal of these bicycles occurs in increasingly large numbers of towns and provides major advantages for the attractiveness of public space. The station area, often the town’s calling card, looks much nicer when it is tidy, without large numbers of bicycles parked any which way. This handbook provides numerous practical tools to structurally organise the removal of abandoned bicycles. Removal of abandoned bicycles leads first of all to improvements in the quality of public space. The appearance of station areas and other locations vital for a town’s image is greatly enhanced and accessibility increases. Another immediate advantage is the release of parking capacity, decreasing the need for expanding the number of bicycle stands or racks. Moreover bicycle use is promoted when there is a good and tidy parking facility. Good bicycle policies contribute to sustainability. In addition removal of abandoned bicycles has positive side effects. It contributes to anti-theft policies, because stolen bicycles are recovered. Moreover local authorities have to invest less effort in removing wrongly-parked bicycles and wrecked bicycles. Removal of abandoned bicycles provides room for employment schemes. And as the removal of abandoned bicycles is generally appreciated, it contributes to a positive image for local policies. In future national funds for expanding parking facilities at train stations will be dependent on the existence of a removal policy for abandoned bicycles, an additional reason for many towns to start a structural approach to removing abandoned bicycles. Policies concerning abandoned bicycles are essentially a local duty. The procedure in removing abandoned bicycles is like this: - an abandoned bicycle policy starts with an administrative decision - an article is included in the local regulations limiting length of parking in certain areas, for instance to a period of four weeks. The general public is informed at those locations by means of signs. - identification of bicycles parked too long occurs by labelling. All bicycles in the stands have a label attached through their spokes. Bicycles still sporting a label after the maximum length of parking are abandoned bicycles. These bicycles receive a notification, where the owner is granted another few days to remove his bicycle. - after that period the bicycles are removed and stored in a dedicated bicycle depot, where often wrongly parked bicycles and wrecks are parked as well. The bicycles are checked for theft. - the owner of an abandoned bicycles has 13 weeks to retrieve his bicycle at the depot. Most abandoned bicycles, however, are not retrieved. They are then sold from the depot or donated to a institution with a relevant social purpose. - the implementing organisation fits the wishes and possibilities of local institutions. Outsourcing some elements and cooperation with other towns is often quite feasible, allowing a cost-effective implementation of abandoned bicycle policies. Abandoned bicycle policies are a smart way of improving public space and accessibility in an efficient and sustainable way. These should be an integral part of local policies in all towns, particularly those with a train station.