NEW BIKE PARKING IN BID TO STOP THIEVES

Central Saint Martins? designers have joined forces with Camden Council and Transport for London (TfL) to launch seven new bike parking designs in a bid to deter bike thieves.

The new bicycle parking stands are designed to defend against bike theft by enabling the wheels and frame to be locked to the stand using an inbuilt chain. Adam Thorpe, DAC Bikeoff senior designer said: ?Bike theft is distressing for the individual and damaging to the city as a whole as it hinders sustainable transport objectives. If we can make life harder for bike thieves, we will.?

TfL?s Head of the Cycling Centre of Excellence, Rose Ades, added: ?TfL recognise that if cycling is to continue its record growth in the capital, the problem of theft needs to be tackled.?

The DAC Bikeoff initiative is being tested at the junction of Southampton Row and Theobald?s Road, a renowned hotspot for cycle theft according to police.

Research by the Central Saint Martin?s fellows showed that bike theft led to 24 per cent of cyclists giving up cycling altogether and 66 per cent less often.

In 2004/5 80 000 bikes were stolen in London with all London boroughs reporting an increase in bike theft.