Winter is coming, so the abandoned bikes must go.

The City will start removing neglected bicycles from Toronto streets and sidewalks today, so if there are any that have been taking up a space near you for too long they'd like to hear from you.

Residents can call 311 to report an abandoned bike, but to ensure that the right one is removed the City asks that you provide as much detail as possible when you call. That includes the colour of the bike frame, type of bike and its location.

According to the city, a bike is considered abandoned when it's been locked in the same location for more than a month.

They said that usually the bicycles have missing or damaged parts, or flat or missing tires, making them unridable. Bikes like that will be removed immediately without notice.

Otherwise if the abandonment isn't that clear, a city worker will place a notification on the bicycle identifying it as abandoned, but won't remove it.

If that tagging is a mistake, the owner of the bike has 14 days to remove the notification and move the bike to another location. If they don't, the bike will be removed.

The abandoned bicycle blitz is on now through Friday.