New data has been published, revealing where in London bikes are most likely to be stolen.
Cycling around the capital is often the quickest and most affordable way to dodge London traffic and get to where you need to be on time.
However, bike theft has become a prevalent issue across the capital, with thieves seemingly taking opportunities to snatch expensive bikes even when they’re locked up.
According to new data shared by Stolen Ride, no areas are 100% safe, but some parts of the city tend to have more bike robberies than others.
Unfortunately, if your bike is snatched, it may be hard to recover. The British Transport Police recently announced they wouldn’t investigate if a bike left for longer than two hours is stolen from a train station.
There are some programmes designed to help people deter bike thieves, including registering your bicycle, and you can still report missing bikes to the Met Police.
In the meantime, cyclists can also access up-to-date statistics on thefts reported across London to see where it's safest to travel.
Stolen Ride has collated data to help cyclists and even has a handy interactive map for people to search specific postcodes and areas.
Data is split by postcode, and users can zoom in to see exactly where bike thefts have been reported and how many bikes have been taken from the area.
The numbers are taken from police crime data and updated monthly.
So, where should you be wary if you are a cyclist? Here are the top five hotspots for bike thefts in the capital right now:
1. Paddington
According to data from August, the streets surrounding Paddington recorded 28 bike thefts, an average of almost one a day.
The most prominent areas were located around Paddington station, where it is standard for people to leave their bikes unattended before hopping on the train.
Bishop’s Bridge and Gloucester Terrace are some of the key areas where these bike thefts occurred.
2. Southbank
London’s Southbank, as well as nearby areas including Waterloo station and Southwark, recorded a total of 27 bike thefts across August, placing it second on the list.
As well as being a hotspot for commuters passing through Waterloo, nearby university campuses and halls make the area popular with students, who usually lock their bikes in unattended bike stands.
Investigations into bike thefts in the area revealed that some incidents had been investigated, but no suspect was identified in many cases.
3. Stratford
Third on the list is Stratford, yet another busy area near Hackney Wick, where people tend to hop on the Jubilee and Elizabeth line.
A number of bike thefts have been documented around Stratford High Street, as well as close to Westfield and the DLR, where it’s pretty common for people to leave their bikes before travelling.
4. Tottenham Court Road
Recording 25 bike thefts according to data collected by Stolen Ride, the popular shopping area surrounding Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street is also a hot spot for bike robberies.
Bikes were nicked from a number of side roads adjacent to the shopping thoroughfare, including Hanway Place and Soho Street.
5. Whitechapel
Whitechapel and the surrounding area also saw 22 bike thefts in August.
Two were taken directly from Newark Street, while others were stolen close to a further education venue and in Brick Lane.
