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.
Bike Safety Week (7 - 11 October 2024)
Visit one of our pop-up stalls on campus to grab a free D-lock any time between 12 noon and 4pm:
- Monday 7 October – The Green Heart
- Tuesday 8 October – Pritchatts Park Village
- Wednesday 9 October – Shackleton reception, The Vale Village
- Thursday 10 October – Bournbrook, Selly Oak Village
- Friday 11 October – Birmingham Medical School
On the Wednesday, students will also have a chance to win a £100 voucher to spend at Gear Up, the University's cycle shop. You can use the voucher towards a new bike or any product of your choice. All you've got to do is be the fastest person to cycle 1km on our stationary bike! Whatever your time, you will walk away with a chocolate treat for taking part.
To claim your free D-lock, you will need to present your bike and student ID card.
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.
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 (email communitysafetyteam@contacts.bham.ac.uk) at the Community Safety Hub or drop in with your ID card and bike to get started. We're open. We also host several pop-up events during term time, so make sure to look out for these.
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 at one of our second-hand bike sales if left unclaimed.