lock left at bike rack

Pep

I left my bike lock at the bike rack in car park of the local swimming pool.
Today when I walked to the pool I noticed they removed it. I ask explanation and they say "it looked messy". Of course there was not notice or anything. And the whole area does look pretty messy apart from any bikelocks.
B_a_s_t_a_r_d_s

walkingbootweather

How long had you left it there for? If it had been a week or more they may have considered it abandoned? Presumably the lock was removed by force and therefore cannot be returned to you in a working condition?

I have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about here, but how does this situation compare with a wheel clamp? If it is illegal to damage a wheel clamp by forced removal isn't it also an offence to damage a lock when removing?

kelsen

Public or private swimming pool/car park? Pretty sure if it's public, you have some sort of right to get your lock back.

Pep

Didn't bother to waste time arguing. The lock was cheapish. They must have removed it by force, it was locked, so I presume cannot be returned in working order.

The pool was public, leisure centre.

Just I'm annoyed there was no sign or anything. Plus, the whole site looks messy, even without locks. They say they had to remove it because it looked messy. :?

White Horse

Why do people leave their locks locked to a bike rack? Is it like the "towels on the sunbed"?

neiltb

if you only need it at one end of your journey, mine is an extra few pounds to lug around, it won't get forgotten if you remove it to clean the bike.

Pep

neiltb wrote:

if you only need it at one end of your journey

+1

ride_whenever

I wouldn't leave my locks purely because it isn't unheard of for them to be superglued so you can't use them when you arrive...

Just consider the weight resistance training and you feel like you're flying without it!

The Rookie

If they removed it without notice it was criminal damage (or theft, depending on whether they still have it and whether they give it back or not), if they left some notice for a reasonable period and they then removed it they would have a defence to that.

Simon

Headhuunter

I leave my 2 D locks on the rack overnight by work quite often (unless I am going on somewhere I need to lock the bike. I used to take my bike indoors at work and put it in the basement but then the jobsworth building manager said that it was a fire risk, as though it would perhaps spontaneously combust. Of course all the other sh!t in the basement - stepladders, lift lining cloth, light bulbs etc were not somehow a fire risk and are still there....

Anyway, I leave my locks on the rack so that I don't have to lug them to and from home every day, I don't need them at home and they weight about 1.5kg each.

Yesterday I arrived and was certain they had been forcibly removed, I couldn't find them anywhere... Then I noticed they were behind another bike (doh!) but it made me think, does anyone know if the police periodically remove bike locks from public bike racks without warning? I think if they are going to have a clear up, they should at least let people know...

Drysuitdiver

its amazing how many people think the police have so little to do


it will likely be the Local Authority that remove bike locks(redundant or otherwise) from street furniture.

they may well let people know, do you read all the notices with losts of small lettering on them ? I don't but i know i should.

Pep

Drysuitdiver wrote:

they may well let people know, do you read all the notices with losts of small lettering on them ? I don't but i know i should.

I do, I know I shouldn't but I do. Honestly.

Berk Bonebonce

The person/people who removed it obviously weren't cyclists. I would have expected them to show a bit of gratitude. A note left on it asking you not to leave it would have perhaps been more appropriate.

I would have suggested that you do not enquire about it. Get your name and adress and they might send you a bill for its removal.

dilemna

Drysuitdiver wrote:

its amazing how many people think the police have so little to do


it will likely be the Local Authority that remove bike locks(redundant or otherwise) from street furniture.

they may well let people know, do you read all the notices with losts of small lettering on them ? I don't but i know i should.

They do, a whole gang of them elected for an easy day watching the clamper that got his come uppance when the car he clamped happened to be owned by the controller of a local taxi firm who called "Attention all cars, attention ALL cars!" who then turned up en masse to block him in, in less than 30 minutes. No the local plod would much prefer to be in their police stations or panda cars rather than out preventing or tackling crime like the armed robbery on the jewelers in Northampton which a granny thawted.

Still I would report the loss of your lock to plod as a theft which is what it is and also likely criminal damage to remove it. If they say it was them that removed it, I would tell them they falied to put up a notice of intended removal and under what power did they remove it? If they say it was the LA then send the LA a bill for replacement again pointing out there were no notices prohibiting the use of bike locks or intended removal. Christ it was a bike lock attached to a bike rack, not a discarded piece of litter such as a Coke can or crisp packet. What morons. They still have to act within the law.