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Anyone's bike gone missing recently?

mrfpbmrfpb Posts: 4,567
edited September 2017 in Commuting chat
My friend posted this on Facebook this morning:
Bit flabbergasted today. _____'s bike had been taken by the British Transport Police and locked in a cupboard. I went to get it today. There were loads of bikes in there, all deemed to not be locked securely enough. I was told I was lucky it was still there because they send them to charity if they are there that long normally. It was two days!
He phoned BTP - they hand the bikes on into the responsibility of Fleet Station after rounding them up!
Taking this further before a whole load of mild offenders end up with their bikes being disposed of for not being secured properly. How many people think their bikes were stolen, not knowing the BTP had taken them?

Posts

  • Ben6899Ben6899 Posts: 9,686
    Wait. What?

    This is completely counterintuitive.
    Ben

    Bikes: Donhou DSS4 Custom | Condor Italia RC | Gios Megalite | Dolan Preffisio | Giant Bowery '76
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ben_h_ppcc/
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  • kingstongrahamkingstongraham Posts: 23,899
    That's not even mild offending is it?
  • rick_chaseyrick_chasey Posts: 67,513 Lives Here
    Christ alive.
    _
  • Ben6899Ben6899 Posts: 9,686
    So BTP is basically stealing bikes they don't consider to be suitably secured. Fuck1ng insane.

    But only at Fleet station? In London, I see lots of bikes where I think "if I was an unscrupulous type, I could nick that easily...", but I don't obviously. And that bike is often there at the end of the day.

    This is all very strange.
    Ben

    Bikes: Donhou DSS4 Custom | Condor Italia RC | Gios Megalite | Dolan Preffisio | Giant Bowery '76
    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ben_h_ppcc/
    Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/
  • MoonbikerMoonbiker Posts: 1,706
    Maybe its the UK version of this:

    http://road.cc/content/news/21738-bike- ... rked-bikes
  • mrfpbmrfpb Posts: 4,567
    No idea if it's only Fleet station. I parked my bike there on a day last week and a day this week and there were no signs to indicate anything like this might happen.
  • thistle_thistle_ Posts: 6,900
    How many people think their bikes were stolen, not knowing the BTP had taken them?
    Presumably if you ring up BTP to report your bike's been nicked then they will tell you that it's safe and you can come and get it.
    Maybe it's a way of clearing out abandoned bikes - remove them and see if anyone rings up. Doesn't seem like the right way to do it. Maybe they should put a combination lock on them and you have to ring up for the code after they explain why they've done it.
  • The RookieThe Rookie Posts: 27,809
    Did they commit criminal damage when removing whatever lock was on it? That would be a case for the Police and a civil claim.
    Current steed - Whyte T129, 2013 frame, mongrel Revelations, Giant dropper, Stans S1 wheelset. 12, Magura Trail Sport brakes, 1x11. 12.8Kg
  • surrey_commutersurrey_commuter Posts: 18,034
    We need more detail than a copy and paste on a friend's facebook page - I am calling shaggy dog
  • mrfpbmrfpb Posts: 4,567
    thistle (MBNW) wrote:
    How many people think their bikes were stolen, not knowing the BTP had taken them?
    Presumably if you ring up BTP to report your bike's been nicked then they will tell you that it's safe and you can come and get it.
    Maybe it's a way of clearing out abandoned bikes - remove them and see if anyone rings up. Doesn't seem like the right way to do it. Maybe they should put a combination lock on them and you have to ring up for the code after they explain why they've done it.

    The bike in question was only left there during the day - not overnight. Fleet station has new "double-decker" bike stands, but not enough. Arrive after 8:00 am and you have to find a post or bit of fence to lock your bike too. Maybe the station staff are annoyed about it, but as I say there are no signs to alert people to any problem or intended action.
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