Cycling is a sustainable, cheap, and easy way to travel around campus and the local area.
While this is great for your pocket, health, and the environment, it also makes bicycles an attractive target for thieves. Luckily, there a few tricks you can keep up your sleeve to keep your bike safe and sound.
Use a D-lock
A D-lock is the most secure bike lock available if you use it correctly; all others, including cables and chains, can easily be cut by thieves.
That’s why we offer high-quality D-locks to all students for free – pop along to the Community Safety Hub to pick up yours, just bring along your bike and your student ID. Staff members can purchase a D-lock at a discounted price of £15.
How to use your D-lock:
When securing your bike with a D-lock, make sure to pass it through the frame and wheels of the bike for complete security. We also recommend locking your bike in a secure purpose-built bike rack. This will be covered by CCTV, unlike trees, posts and railings.
Get it property marked
As part of the University’s ‘Lock It, Mark It’ scheme, you can register your bike on the Police National Database for free. Simply book an appointment at the Community Safety Hub or drop in with your ID card and bike to be marked, and you’re good to go!
Email us at communitysafetyteam@contacts.bham.ac.uk to book, drop in at the Community Safety Hub during opening times, or look out for one of our pop-up events during term time.
Be a safe cyclist
- Wear a helmet
- Understand and obey the rules of the road: traffic lights, road signs, pedestrians etc
- Make sure you can see and be seen
- Signal clearly
- During the darker months, always use front (white) and rear (red) lights and wear reflective gear
Read more cycling safety tips from Sustrans
Make the most of cycling on campus
You’ll find a range of services and facilities at the University to make it easy for you to cycle on and around campus; from bike hire schemes and cycle routes, to salary sacrifice schemes for staff to buy a new bike. We even have our own bike shop on campus, which offers free bike health check-ups and a range of repair services, plus over 1,000 cycle spaces and 50 showers.
Read more about cycling on campus
Abandoned bicycles
Sometimes when students leave us, they leave their bikes too. This can take up valuable space in our bike racks and make it more difficult for our cycling community to access the facilities they need.
That’s why we’d love for you to let us know if you think you’ve spotted an abandoned bike. Typically, they’ll be rusty with flat tyres, and won’t have moved for a significant amount of time. Simply send a description of the bike and its location, along with a photo, to sustainabletravel@contacts.bham.ac.uk and we’ll take care of the rest.
Abandoned bikes are tagged and either donated to charity or sold on at one of our second-hand bike sales if left unclaimed.