Does the campaign to tackle bike theft go far enough?
Despite an on-going police and council cycling safety campaign, cyclists in Twickenham still feel there is not enough being done to provide safe storage for bikes.
Councillor Tony Arbour was out at Twickenham Station on Thursday, distributing cycle safety flyers advising cyclists to register their bikes online, and to use two substantial locks.
Some residents took to twitter to dispute the usefulness of the flyers.
Stephen Laughton, of Twickenham, tweeted the council: “Where should I drop my flyer advising you to provide cycle parking?”
Another user, ‘Twickerman’, tweeted: “If there was enough bike parking at Twickenham station people might not use lamp posts & railings.”
The campaign has targeted Twickenham due to the high number of bike thefts in the area. In the last year, there were 1,387 bikes stolen from streets and sheds.
Cllr Arbour, Cabinet Member for Performance and Community Safety, said being careless with security isn’t worth the risk.
“It’s not a lot of extra effort to carry a second lock, nor to find somewhere secure to lock it, so don’t risk your bike being stolen; double lock it, or you could lose it,” he said.
Holly Howard, a HR and Payroll Officer who stores her bike at Twickenham station on a daily basis, shared her opinions.
“Trying to find a bike space is abysmal,” she explained.
“There is a separate bike storage area that requires a £5 deposit, but I have no idea how you go about acquiring the key. It should be promoted an awful lot more.”
It appears many are either not aware of, or unable to obtain a key for, the facility. It remains almost empty, whilst bikes are piled up on railings and fences outside the station.
Mrs Howard stated she had her bike stolen previously, so she and her husband both now follow the council’s safety advice.
For more information on the campaign visit: www.richmond.gov.uk/home/community_safety/operation_lockout/preventing_cycle_theft
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