Think I did my 'good Samaritan' bit yesterday.
Dinner time, walk into town. Walked past the rear of the bus station where theres an old GT hybrid. Its secured with a dodgy looking (Poundland?) cable lock. I've seen it there a few times, but never seen who rides it. There are signs up saying the areas secure with 24hr CCTV. I wouldn't trust it. Especially as 100 yards away there's cycle parking in fabricated steel, single bike enclosures....
So twenty minutes later I'm walking back and the owners there, unlocking it. Only thing is, as I get closer I'm wondering "is it the owner?" This guys about 20ish. The bikes a hack, so I wasn't expecting a lycra lout. This guy looks more like a stereotypical smackhead. As I pass I can see he is trying a key in the lock. But then he's not really trying it in the lock, he's scratching round it, at the housing and swapping keys.
I was going to walk off, but thought 'sod it'. 20 yards on, the bridge over the river starts. So as I got on the bridge I stopped, turned round, leant on the railing and watched the proceedings.
He carried on for about 20 seconds, prodding away, before he scanned round. When he realised he was being watched he stood up. You know that teenage/thug bravado. The "What you ***** looking at!" I could tell that went through his mind for a second, before he turned and walked off.
I followed at a distance for a hundred yards, as I remembered seeing a PCSO in the area and thought if they were still there, I could point him out. They weren't, so I didn't. I just trotted off, back to work.
Gives a nice feeling that someone will have been spared from coming back to an empty bike rack. Plus one in the Karma bank?
Dinner time, walk into town. Walked past the rear of the bus station where theres an old GT hybrid. Its secured with a dodgy looking (Poundland?) cable lock. I've seen it there a few times, but never seen who rides it. There are signs up saying the areas secure with 24hr CCTV. I wouldn't trust it. Especially as 100 yards away there's cycle parking in fabricated steel, single bike enclosures....
So twenty minutes later I'm walking back and the owners there, unlocking it. Only thing is, as I get closer I'm wondering "is it the owner?" This guys about 20ish. The bikes a hack, so I wasn't expecting a lycra lout. This guy looks more like a stereotypical smackhead. As I pass I can see he is trying a key in the lock. But then he's not really trying it in the lock, he's scratching round it, at the housing and swapping keys.
I was going to walk off, but thought 'sod it'. 20 yards on, the bridge over the river starts. So as I got on the bridge I stopped, turned round, leant on the railing and watched the proceedings.
He carried on for about 20 seconds, prodding away, before he scanned round. When he realised he was being watched he stood up. You know that teenage/thug bravado. The "What you ***** looking at!" I could tell that went through his mind for a second, before he turned and walked off.
I followed at a distance for a hundred yards, as I remembered seeing a PCSO in the area and thought if they were still there, I could point him out. They weren't, so I didn't. I just trotted off, back to work.
Gives a nice feeling that someone will have been spared from coming back to an empty bike rack. Plus one in the Karma bank?
