Bike locks removed at college bike shed by janitor over half term...

[Miljea]

My DS got to college on his £200 bike today to find the quite new £20 D bike lock he'd left there, in the shed, as always, along with others' bike locks- gone.

So he had to leave a £200 bike propped up there all day in an area where the local FB page's top 5 complaints is stolen bikes.

There was no mass email out to students telling them to remove bike locks.

Do we have a case for the replacement cost of the lock?

Was there a sign up in the bike sheds? I guess there might be a blanket 'things left at owner's risk' type message. I would presume they might remove anything left on site over the holidays especially random bike locks in the bike sheds. They could have belonged to anyone.

Didn't he need the lock for his bike in the holidays or wherever else he goes on it? I always kept my bike lock on my bike, why wouldn't you?

I would expect my college aged DC to put it down to experience, buy another lock and look after it. Don't leave your stuff.

He only uses his bike for college. And it's a good 2kg to heft around, so no, he doesn't bring it to and fro. Art portfolios are heave enough.

I will ask him about signage.

I really don't think you have a leg to stand on here. It's annoying and would have been polite for them to email round before removing the locks, but your DS shouldn't be leaving it there in the first place.

At our school (prkmaru, not university ) we’re always asked to empty lunchbox sheds and pick up all the scooters and bikes on the last day of each term. Maybe same logic was applied here?

primary 🙄

Why would you leave it there? It’s your sons fault.

We expect our students to not leave things in the bike sheds. A handful do though.

I've never known a school have a policy allowing 24/7 storage. For a start, they would have no idea who is still using what, which ones have been abandoned etc.

It would have been good to send a memo out to students before removing things but I don't think you've got a leg to stand on.

He needs to buy a lock that isn't 2kg and attach it to his bike. You can't just leave it there, locked to college property during the holidays just because it's too heavy to bring home. I would also presume they thought the lock was abandoned if it wasn't required for a week.

I worked at a Uni that had a policy of tagging bikes/bikey items they would remove within 2 weeks, not of removal without warning. They should have warned everyone.

OP due to how poorly some people lock their bike, their bike can be stolen and the lock left in situ.

As PP said you don't really have a leg to stand on. I've seen and used loads of bike racks, both public and private, where locks are just left. No-one has any idea if the bike that was locked to was stolen or not and it's annoying, so they locks eventually disappear.

You can get brackets to attach a lock to a bike frame. That’s how I carry my (very heavy) bike locks.

It’s far from ideal having a lot of locks attached to bike racks. Either it limits racks available for people who want to park their bikes or if you park your bike in a used rack then someone wants to get at their lock then there is a risk of damage to your bike.

You da needs a lock that doesn't weigh a ton. I think it's odd to leave a lock at college.

Actually, heavy locks are generally stronger, so he doesn't need a lighter lock. What he probably needs is a lock that attaches to the frame. He won't notice the weight when he's riding, it'll just feel like part of the bike. He then doesn't need to carry it anywhere because when he's off the bike , the lock.is securing the bike.

We tried to affix the lock onto the frame but it wouldn't fit.

You need serious locks here; every single day someone is reporting a stolen bike in the immediate area. I mean, people post photos of the thief from CCTV, but the police are so under resourced, they're chasing drug dealers. Their advice is to use this particular lock!

Anyway, I shall get DS to check for signs tomorrow, and we're going to complain. They could have warned the youngsters. It's never happened over the past 2.5 years of use.

YABU - and so was he
Very entitled
He left his property somewhere, his own fault

I would never leave my chains on a bikestand - because it's not my stand !
Anyway, I chain them outside my home too.

My bike has 2 little pannier bags on each side of the rear frame, that each hold a very heavy chain with lock

The college has no idea about who owns the lock.

He shouldn't leave it there for the reasons given (and it also seems to give people a sense of ownership of where to park their bike)

Entitled is somewhat overegging it! Are you normally so hyperbolic?.

A student has, for 2.5 years, along with others, left a heavy bike lock at a college, without issue. A new clean one.

Out of the blue,with no warning, someone has removed probably hundreds of £ of locks from the stands.

I think the college should have warned the students.

What they have done is heavy-handed and unnecessary.

Bike thieves use locks left in situ to practice on apparently.

I mean, how much effort would have been required to email them all in one fell swoop?

To avoid DC having to leave £200 bikes unlocked in a high theft area?

Now that's a bit nasty.

Whatever.

He's whatevs about it. And withdrawing his permission to use his unconditional offer to the top uni for his subject in the country in their prospectus.

Heigh ho.

Shouldn't have left the lock there. The racks are school property and they saw fit to remove all the "abandoned" property from it.

Yes, they could have said they were doing it, but they're not in the wrong for just removing them.

Yes, that's what this struggling Tech should have done. Warn the students.

But it didn't. It just cut £20 locks, leaving today's students with no way of securing £200 bikes.

So they'll have to find another poster boy.

Go and find out why and who removed them?

I would expect some communication if there was a problem with leaving the lock there. If so I would have removed it. But you were not given that opportunity. I would therefore expect them to replace it.

Yes, cabbage, he'll be going to reception tomorrow to find out what happened.

It’s an area ride for bike crime, but his bike wasn’t stolen when he left his bike unlocked for a day?

Um... even bike thieves take days off?

What an odd reply. Esp from you, bike 🤔