Avon Valley Railway say there have been no reports of stolen bikes despite concerns raised by cyclists visiting the Bitton station cafe. The attraction, which is along the Bristol and Bath Railway Path, is popular with cyclists - but some are now saying they will no longer visit over fears of getting their bikes stolen, after a nearby cycle rack was sawn in half.
Mark Simmons, Avon Valley Railway manager, said they ask all cyclists to lock their bicycles using the racks provided due to the risk of children getting knocked over otherwise. But due to the distance between the racks and the outdoor cafe, some cyclists feel reluctant to return if they have to leave their bike out of their sight.
One cyclist, Guy Buckland said that he would no longer risk leaving his bike at the station. He said: “The people at Bitton station are lovely and it’s a great place. But you can’t use the cafe and be able to see your bike.
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“Given how easy bike theft is these days I wouldn’t risk it, especially now one of the racks has been sawn through.”
Mr Simmons said: “The cycle rack in question isn’t on our land, it's on the main council car park. It’s a shame it’s happened and we have no idea how or why it’s happened, I believe it was sawn through.
“What we have found on occasion is that children can get knocked over so what we are asking cyclists to do is put their bikes in [the car park] rack or the set of racks on our property. It helps to avoid any issues with little kids being knocked over.
“We are conscious that some cyclists have fairly expensive bikes and we always encourage cyclists to bring a bike lock. We are not aware of bikes being stolen from here, it’s more of a fear. We are only here in the daytime.”
Other cyclists raised concerns on social media in regards to the safety of leaving their bikes out of view. Due to the 19th century layout of the station, management expressed that changing the location of the cycle racks would not be easy but they believe that during daylight hours bikes that are locked are not at risk.
A South Gloucestershire Council spokesperson said: "One of our officers will visit and make an assessment on the extent of any damage and see if repairs are required."
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