I am really fed up with the pain and inconvenience caused in to Cyclechat members in London by serial bike thieves, so I have written an e-mail to Boris! See below:
Dear Boris (& Team)
I am writing about a matter which, in the great scheme of things, is small; but which causes great upset and offence to the individuals involved.
There are people in London making a very fat living out of bicycle theft, with stolen bikes often fetching between £450 and £1000 pounds being sold in the Brick Lane market, and via Ebay and Gumtree.
There is a perception among cyclists that the police are either not interested or do not have the time to deal with this. A little effort here could make a great deal of difference to the lives of many. After all, most people who are cyclists are not well heeled and become emotionally attached to their cycles.
Do have a look here: http://www.cyclechat.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=38 for more information. London has a terrific record on encouraging cycling, and an effort to control those who make a large sums out of bike theft would contribute to that effort. Petty theft and low level crime really matters to those subjected to it.
Regards (And keep up the good work!)!
Within seconds an electronic reply:
The Mayor would like to thank you for your interest in his work and he is keen to answer your query as quickly and fully as possible. As you will appreciate, he receives very large amount of correspondence but he is committed to responding to your query within 20 working days.
I'll let you know! (At least someone in the GLC might look at the stolen bikes thread!).
Dear Boris (& Team)
I am writing about a matter which, in the great scheme of things, is small; but which causes great upset and offence to the individuals involved.
There are people in London making a very fat living out of bicycle theft, with stolen bikes often fetching between £450 and £1000 pounds being sold in the Brick Lane market, and via Ebay and Gumtree.
There is a perception among cyclists that the police are either not interested or do not have the time to deal with this. A little effort here could make a great deal of difference to the lives of many. After all, most people who are cyclists are not well heeled and become emotionally attached to their cycles.
Do have a look here: http://www.cyclechat.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=38 for more information. London has a terrific record on encouraging cycling, and an effort to control those who make a large sums out of bike theft would contribute to that effort. Petty theft and low level crime really matters to those subjected to it.
Regards (And keep up the good work!)!
Within seconds an electronic reply:
The Mayor would like to thank you for your interest in his work and he is keen to answer your query as quickly and fully as possible. As you will appreciate, he receives very large amount of correspondence but he is committed to responding to your query within 20 working days.
I'll let you know! (At least someone in the GLC might look at the stolen bikes thread!).