Train Station Bicycle Security

Kintarō Hattori

I came back from town today and was making my way to my bike at the when I overheard a conversation between a guy and a woman at the bicycle racks. It turns out she had just come back on the same train as myself only to find her bicycle had been nicked. On talking to her it turns out it was the second bicycle she has had nicked in about a year. Admittedly she said she didn't use good locks as they weren't great bikes.

When I got to my own bike I noticed that someone had interfered with it. I use a U-lock around the rear frame and tire and a combination lock on the front wheel and frame (even though the front wheel isn't quick release). I always lock the combination lock to a specific set of numbers so I can tell if someone has been interfering with it, and I always hide it away under the frame.
The lock had been set to a completely different set of numbers and was 'on top' of the frame where it was visible.

From what I can gather reading threads and posts on here the staff at stations pretty much ignore the bicycle stands at stations making it easy for thieves to access the bikes. What do other posters think- is this the case? Is bike security not thought of/cared about at local stations? Do many bikes get stolen at stations, or is it not really that much of a problem?

What do they do in other countries to keep customers bikes secure? What could be done here to improve the situation? Do you think Irishrail would listen to suggestions?

Tonyandthewhale

Train stations have always been notorious for bike theft. There's a limit to what the staff at the station can do since they don't know who's bike is who's. Just don't lock an expensive bike at the station if you can help it and don't lock your bike at exact same spot every day in case a would be bike thief notices it a few days in a row and decides to come back the next day with an angle grinder or the like.

michaelm

If you need to leave a bike at a train station from time to time then I think it is best to follow what appears to be the norm on the continent - have a separate bike of very little value, which will be of little interest to thieves. This will cost you less than the price of a good lock. Alternatively you could consider taking off the pedals and taking them with you.

Traumadoc

Most would be thrown in the back of a van.

Kintarō Hattori

I don't bring an expensive bike to the station but that's getting away from the point that security at stations is pretty awful. What are the solutions to make it more secure? Are Irishrail ever likely to improve things?

How about a secure area? You could get a key from the station master on presentation of a monthly ticket perhaps?

Gru

I could never understand this, one friend of mine had his bike stolen from the Train Station in Cork twice, (he bought a better lock the second time and it was a cheap bike but it was still cut)

surely staff would spot someone cutting a lock to get a bike and consider it strange?

another thing i can not understand is why they don't stick a security camera on/around the bike rails so you could at least see what happened and when and possibly who?

Khannie

Can I ask which train station that was KH?

Kintarō Hattori

Khannie wrote: »

Can I ask which train station that was KH?

Balbriggan unfortunately Khannie.

robertxxx

clonsilla is very bad also, :mad:

monkeyslayer

was told once that for a four code combination lock most thieves rattle through every year date they have time to try, a lot of people use the year they were born in or something similarly signifigant

petethedrummer

Like anything else, there will be big signs with "Patrons leave there stuff here at their own risk." The staff indoors can't be expected to patrol the bikes and a security guard would be uneconomical.

I used to commute regularly from Dublin to a commuter town and the standard of locks and locking was appalling. A couple of rudimentary tools would have removed virtually every bike in minutes.

Maybe some leaflets on how to lock a bike could be handed out on commuter trains, but I don't know what group would undertake this. Or a big sign with instructions on how to lock a bike could be located beside the racks.

seeing_ie

That's an interesting idea, signs on how to correctly lock bikes and what kind of locks to use.