New bicycle bays to deter thefts

Members of the public can now park their bicycles with greater peace of mind. -- ST PHOTO: ASHLEIGH SIM
Members of the public can now park their bicycles with greater peace of mind. -- ST PHOTO: ASHLEIGH SIM

SINGAPORE - Members of the public can now park their bicycles with greater peace of mind at nine newly designed bicycle bays islandwide.

The bicycle bays, which are designed to deter theft, allow cyclists to lock the frame and both wheels of the bicycle to bicycle racks.

They were designed by three students from Lasalle College of the Arts who participated in a bicycle bay design competition.

The police have installed a total of 90 racks at the nine bicycle bays as part of a pilot programme which started earlier this month.

These bays are located at malls and recreation facilities, such as Velocity@Novena Square and Pasir Ris Sports & Recreation Centre, and neighbourhoods in Hougang and Punggol.

The police hope to install three more bays, with 30 racks in all, by the end of the year.

Speaking at the official launch of the new bicycle bays on Sunday, National Crime Prevention Council chairman Tan Kian Hoon noted that 588 bicycle thefts were reported in the first half of this year.

While this figure is a reduction from the 630 cases in the same period last year, in part due to policing efforts, more could be done to further lower the number of such thefts, said Mr Tan.

Alongside the new bicycle bays, an online database will also be set up for the public registration of bicycle security labels, which are issued by the police and come with unique serial numbers, he said.

The database, which will be managed by an online bicycle community platform, Togoparts, will allow bicycle owners to update the status of their bicycles on the web. Consumers can also check the database to make sure that they are not buying stolen bicycles.

amirh@sph.com.sg

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