This Has to Stop!

Kintarō Hattori · 16-08-2012 10:04am #1

I live out in Balbriggan and take the train into town. The station is a hotspot for bikes being stolen or damaged. In my 18 months or so living out there I've gotten off the train, arrived at the cycle rack only to see fellow cyclists in a state of disbelief after having their transport stolen/damaged.

I've been pretty lucky up to this point. I secure my bike with a heavy u-lock and a combination lock around the front wheel/bike stand. While my bike has been interferred with in the past, though never in a big way my luck finally ran out this week.

It seems this week has seen the vandals being quite busy. On Tuesday a fellow had both wheels stolen, while the frame was left locked to the stand.
I turned the corner yesterday and could see from a distance that someone had been at the bike. While giving it a look over another cyclist came down and asked what the damage was. It turns out they'd nicked his saddle, cut the cables for brakes/gears and tried to rip off the brake control/gear shifters. He estimated it'd cost more to fix than the bike was worth. There were other bikes there but their owners weren't on the same train. I didn't look at them but one can only presume that they were victims of damage too.
I got back to my own bike and I guess while they were in the middle of damaging it that they must have been scared off as it was only missing the clamp that held the seat post tight- so I was lucky. They had interferred with both locks but they held tight.

So yes- my luck has run out. I should have taken action before but I'm only doing it now- I know I know. There is no CCTV at the station and there is nowhere secure to lock up the bikes. Bicycles are frequently targetted at the station and I feel that's not good enough- especially when you consider that a monthly train ticket into the city centre is around about €120 per month.

There is from what I gather, a part of the car park that's separated by a fence. I wonder if this could be used to store bikes? Alternatively I'd pay a little each months towards some sort of secure storage if that was possibe.

I've arranged to be on the same train as the chap I met last night. We're going to see if we can get other cyclists to join us in voicing our concerns to IrishRail. It's easy to dismiss an individual but hopefully no so much a group.

If anyone from Balbriggan has had their bike(s) damaged/stolen please drop me a line and we'll take things from there.

A_Sober_Paddy · 16-08-2012 10:07am

Someone should invent a devise that will shock anyone who touches your bike and the shock should increase exponentially so to keep scum away, and if it kills them sure they'll be up for a darwin award at the years end

miller50841 · 16-08-2012 10:13am

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

I live out in Balbriggan and take the train into town. The station is a hotspot for bikes being stolen or damaged. In my 18 months or so living out there I've gotten off the train, arrived at the cycle rack only to see fellow cyclists in a state of disbelief after having their transport stolen/damaged.

I've been pretty lucky up to this point. I secure my bike with a heavy u-lock and a combination lock around the front wheel/bike stand. While my bike has been interferred with in the past, though never in a big way my luck finally ran out this week.

It seems this week has seen the vandals being quite busy. On Tuesday a fellow had both wheels stolen, while the frame was left locked to the stand.
I turned the corner yesterday and could see from a distance that someone had been at the bike. While giving it a look over another cyclist came down and asked what the damage was. It turns out they'd nicked his saddle, cut the cables for brakes/gears and tried to rip off the brake control/gear shifters. He estimated it'd cost more to fix than the bike was worth. There were other bikes there but their owners weren't on the same train. I didn't look at them but one can only presume that they were victims of damage too.
I got back to my own bike and I guess while they were in the middle of damaging it that they must have been scarred off as it was only missing the clamp that held the seat post tight- so I was lucky. They had interferred with both locks but they held tight.

So yes- my luck has run out. I should have taken action before but I'm only doing it now- I know I know. There is no CCTV at the station and there is nowhere secure to lock up the bikes. Bicycles are frequently targetted at the station and I feel that's not good enough- especially when you consider that a monthly train ticket into the city centre is around about €120 per month.

There is from what I gather, a part of the car park that's seperated by a fence. I wonder if this couldn't be used to store bikes? Alternatively I'd pay a little each months towards some sort of secure storage if that was possibe.

I've arranged to be on the same train as the chap I met last night. We're going to see if we can get other cyclists to join us in voicing our concerns to IrishRail. It's easy to dismiss an individual but hopefully no so much a group.

If anyone from Balbriggan has had their bike(s) damaged/stolen please drop me a line and we'll take things from there.

Did you report damage/ theft to the guards?

Have you got onto Irish Rail with pics of the damage and other bikes that have been done over?

Ask them if cctv could be put in as safety and property are at a huge risk.

Even if they only installed the cctv for to protect the property of Irish Rail that would be a start and also get onto Leo V the transport minister.

RobFowl · 16-08-2012 10:24am

I wonder if this should be on the North county Dublin forum too or at least a link to it. Maybe best to ask Beasty about that as he moderates that forum as well.
I'm lucky in that I cycle into Balbriggan but can store the bike at work.

Beasty · 16-08-2012 10:43am

I'll put a link to this thread there - I don't want KH to get himself banned for spamming;)

Kintarō Hattori · 16-08-2012 10:47am

Beasty wrote: »

I'll put a link to this thread there - I don't want KH to get himself banned for spamming;)

Haha- I wouldn't dream of cross posting sir!

Cookie_Monster · 16-08-2012 10:52am

TBH what do you expect, leave your bike anywhere unsecure in Dublin and your likely it'll be damaged or nicked. It's a shitty thing to happen but is entirely predictable, especially cos no one gives a damn. Inform the guards and they tell you there's little they can do, inform the like of IE and they say it's not their problem, there's signs there to that effect etc
:mad:

Kintarō Hattori · 16-08-2012 10:59am

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

TBH what do you expect, leave your bike anywhere unsecure in Dublin and your likely it'll be damaged or nicked. It's a shitty thing to happen but is entirely predictable, especially cos no one gives a damn. Inform the guards and they tell you there's little they can do, inform the like of IE and they say it's not their problem, there's signs there to that effect etc
:mad:

On one hand yes you're right. That said however it's not good enough and we have to at least try to better the situation that we find ourselves in. If I were to go to IrishRail they can easily dismiss me. Perhaps if we can form a group that won't be so easy to do.

rp · 16-08-2012 11:06am

Sorry to hear your bike got robbed. At Maynooth they have recently installed pay-for bike lockers:
BikeLocker%20ie%20with%20Bike%20and%20Helmet%20inside.JPG

BikeLocker%20ie%20with%20Bike%20and%20Helmet%20inside.JPG

dunno if they plan to roll these out for all commuter stations, but it would seem like they should.
Try mailing these guys to see if they have plans: sales@bikelocker.ie

Mycroft H · 16-08-2012 11:15am

We should all buy rifles and have some night time target practice

Serious question? Have you contacted AGS? Secondly, I never lock my bike at a train station, maynooth used to be the very same.

hardCopy · 16-08-2012 11:22am

rp wrote: »

Sorry to hear your bike got robbed. At Maynooth they have recently installed pay-for bike lockers:
http://www.taxsaver.ie/Global/BikeLocker%20ie%20with%20Bike%20and%20Helmet%20inside.JPG
dunno if they plan to roll these out for all commuter stations, but it would seem like they should.
Try mailing these guys to see if they have plans: sales@bikelocker.ie

Sadly, I can only imagine that the presence of these lockers will result in even less sympathy for people who don't use them.

"Bikes left at owners risk" is just not good enough. Bike storage should really be positioned in sight of the ticket desk, or at least in CCTV range.

mossym · 16-08-2012 11:36am

hardCopy wrote: »

"Bikes left at owners risk" is just not good enough. Bike storage should really be positioned in sight of the ticket desk, .

does that put responsibility on the person behind the ticket desk to intervene if something happens?not sure many ticket agents would fancy dealing with a group of yobs messing with bikes

morana · 16-08-2012 11:40am

Ah Balbriggan! this is the District that is overlooking the Swords CC league races.

anyway I know its an awful feeling when it happens I hope your action has positive results. I dont know if CI can play any role in your effort but if you think we can give us a shout and we can see what we can do.

buffalo · 16-08-2012 12:24pm

mossym wrote: »

does that put responsibility on the person behind the ticket desk to intervene if something happens?not sure many ticket agents would fancy dealing with a group of yobs messing with bikes

No, but it leaves little excuse as to why the Gardaí weren't called. It's not easy to secure a public parking place without either CCTV or a human presence. Seeing as how there's someone at the station during business hours, why not give them the ability to keep an eye on the car/bike park too? Sounds like these guys ran riot, must've been there for a significant length of time, and nobody did a thing.

Con41 · 16-08-2012 1:42pm

I think Gormanstown station has a bicycle lock up facility - the Maynooth one looks good but with Irish rail losing money hand over fist, I can 't see them putting bicycle security anywhere near the top of their list.

mossym · 16-08-2012 2:01pm

buffalo wrote: »

No, but it leaves little excuse as to why the Gardaí weren't called. It's not easy to secure a public parking place without either CCTV or a human presence. Seeing as how there's someone at the station during business hours, why not give them the ability to keep an eye on the car/bike park too? Sounds like these guys ran riot, must've been there for a significant length of time, and nobody did a thing.

that's fair enough, i didn't think having one person in a ticket booth trying to stop these guys was going to work, but a simple call to the cops is easier. however, if you listen to the reports, the cops are slammed and the probable response to a call about something like this is likely to be nothing

Cyclepath · 16-08-2012 3:49pm

Con41 wrote: »

I think Gormanstown station has a bicycle lock up facility - the Maynooth one looks good but with Irish rail losing money hand over fist, I can 't see them putting bicycle security anywhere near the top of their list.

Well the bike-locker scheme at least has the potential to pay for itself...

I disagree with the notion that I should have to pay extra to ensure my bike isn't vandalised but pragmatism tells me it's the only real solution here :-/

Lumen · 16-08-2012 3:54pm

I am extremely concerned at the lack of CCTV coverage of the bike racks..

This poses a major safety issue for the scrotes.

What would happen if some vigilante came along and beat the crap out of them with a hurl? There would be no evidence at all.

Won't someone please think of the children!

monument · 16-08-2012 4:05pm

Where there's demand I think secure parking behind a fence and gate might be a better solution than boxes?

Don't some other cities have platform side parking?

CinammonGirl · 16-08-2012 4:06pm

I had my bike stolen from BB train station a couple of weeks ago sometime between 9 & 6. I don't think I had locked it properly (doh) and it's not exactly the crime of the century but as KintarÅ Hattori says it's not good enough really. It really pissed me off. Reported to the guards straight away, took my details in his little notebook. End of story. I called into the train station a few days later and the guy there said that there was CC TV on that bike rack (the cop had said he didn't think there was), he didn't know whether the cops had been over to look at the CCTV. In fairness I don't expect the guards to look at 8 hours of CCTV but I haven't found the BB guards to be particularly helpful in the various acts of petty crime I have reported over the years.

billyhead · 16-08-2012 6:44pm

An Irish Rail official at Rush/Lusk I was talking to informed me that it happens their every now and then aswell. Such scum bags. I lock my bike at this station but its an oul banger and not worth taking. Rusted up and would just get you from A to B. I also have a Kryptonite Lock which is supposedly very hard to get through however the official I was talking to said that a bike was stolen at Rush/Lusk 2 weeks ago and the owner told him he had a heavy duty U lock and also a fairly stong chain which the scum got through.

Qualitymark · 18-08-2012 7:17am

In Japan, every train station (equivalent to bus stops here) has a *huge* long two-storey rack of bikes with a guy in a comfy hut watching them. His wages are paid by the small monthly fee the 600 or so cyclists pay to use the parking place. Should be possible here too.

Would it be an idea to stick up a trail cam somewhere unobtrusive and get footage of whoever's doing this, and maybe bring it into a local pub and ask who they are, then bring it to the Guards?

That is, if An Garda Síochána are too busy to send a bike patrol to the station a few times a day.

monument · 18-08-2012 10:58am

Qualitymark wrote: »

In Japan, every train station (equivalent to bus stops here) has a *huge* long two-storey rack of bikes with a guy in a comfy hut watching them. His wages are paid by the small monthly fee the 600 or so cyclists pay to use the parking place. Should be possible here too.

There's quite a large difference between the usage of trains and bicycles in Japan and a suburban Co Dublin station.

Capt'n Midnight · 19-08-2012 1:50pm

attach a hidden android to the bike with a camera , not much use if your bike gets stolen, but might help someone else.

is it possible to get a proximity alarm for a bike so it makes noise when someone gets too close ?

Andy!! · 19-08-2012 1:56pm

miller50841 wrote: »

Did you report damage/ theft to the guards?

:pac: Haha, that's a funny joke. I cannot think of a bigger waste of personal time.

Qualitymark · 19-08-2012 6:35pm

Maybe we should be agitating for a central garda station that would take secondary reports of all bike thefts, so you'd report it a) to the nearest station to where it was stolen and b) to the central station.

If the Gardaí saw that there was a major and growing problem, maybe they'd take action?

Incidentally, I raised this on the boards.ie Emergency Services forum recently, and got a flood of answers saying the people don't report stolen bikes, and if they do, they don't have a photo, details and the frame number.

Otherwise incidentally, there's a flikr page of photos of bikes the Gardaí have recovered, constantly updated.

dRNk SAnTA · 19-08-2012 6:51pm

I understand that the Gardaí are slammed, and there's been cut backs etc but it's exactly this sort of every-day petty crime has a big effect on people's daily lives, their general sense of safety and it can pretty much wreck community spirit.

Surely the majority of us who aren't thieves should be working together more to sort this type of thing out. This cycling forum alone could be quite a powerful lobby when it comes to pressuring the likes of CIE or Dublin City Council to improve certain facilities?

irlrobins · 05-09-2012 9:53am

Bike lockers are now available at 13 stations.

Maybe contact Irish Rail or your local councillor and see if they could be extended to Balbriggan?

mitosis · 05-09-2012 10:11am

Everyone who has his bike interfered with needs to report it to the Gardai - create a critical mass. The trouble for the Gardai is that it is probably persons unprosecutable who are doing this, so it seems like a waste of time to them to follow up. No backup from the Courts.

There used to be a problem at Heuston with bikes being stolen. A Garda at Kilmainham took a personal interest in catching the thieves, so he got a bike and left it at the station where he could see it. After catching several thieves he was himself disciplined for entrapping and instructed to desist from his activities.

Qualitymark · 05-09-2012 10:20am

mitosis wrote: »

There used to be a problem at Heuston with bikes being stolen. A Garda at Kilmainham took a personal interest in catching the thieves, so he got a bike and left it at the station where he could see it. After catching several thieves he was himself disciplined for entrapping and instructed to desist from his activities.

I really think we could get some TV broadcaster - Hector? Manchán Magan? - to do a programme on bike theft; and if you have the name of this garda or others who have had similar experiences, maybe they could be interviewed with faces blurred, voices masked?

A sting or a series of stings - not by gardaí but by cyclists, and done calmly, with the robbers interviewed if possible - would make a fantastic programme.

Dipsomaniac · 05-09-2012 10:54am

Qualitymark wrote: »

A sting or a series of stings - not by gardaí but by cyclists, and done calmly, with the robbers interviewed if possible - would make a fantastic programme.

I think I've seen that exact show. Uk based. Can't remember the channel. I think the reporters bike had been stolen and he decided to look into it. Setup a few sting operations and had gps chips on the bikes to follow the trail.

Might be in the videos thread actually

This Has to Stop!

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