Cardiff Business Improvement District introduces new measures to remove abandoned bicycles
The Cardiff Business Improvement District (BID) has today announced a new project in partnership with聽Cardiff City Council and South Wales Police to combat bike theft in Cardiff by issuing the removal of聽abandoned bicycles occupying the racks in the city, ahead of the Tour of Britain cycle race.
The Tour travels from Worcester to Cardiff on September 8th, bringing with it thousands of cycling fans,聽many of whom will travel to the city on bike. The BID has vowed to ensure the city is prepared to聽accommodate the needs of these visitors, identifying and removing abandoned bikes by the 1st of
September.
The issue was raised via an online survey distributed to business owners by Cardiff BID and in their聽conversations with the Street Ambassadors. They noticed the bikes had been left for extended periods聽of time and are often in states of disrepair.
The abandoned bikes make the racks susceptible to theft and create storage problems for Cardiff鈥檚聽residents, discouraging them from parking their bikes in them or even from cycling into the city at all.
As part of their day to day work, the Cardiff Street Ambassadors are recording abandoned bikes and聽passing the information on to police.
The BID will then carry out the removals and donate the bicycles to Cardiff Cycle Workshop, a bike聽refurbishing scheme which has put 1,500 bikes back on the road.
Executive Director of Cardiff BID, Adrian Field said: 鈥淭he BID is committed to keeping the residents and聽business owners of Cardiff and their property safe and secure.
鈥淲ith so many cycling fans travelling to Cardiff for the Tour of Britain it is essential we have the right聽procedures in place to protect their property and make the city a welcoming place to cycle.鈥
If you see a bike in Cardiff you think may be abandoned, get in touch with the Street Ambassadors on聽Ambassadors@cardiffbid.com & 07983 311723.
-ENDS-
For聽more information, please contact:
Vicki Spencer-Francis / Hollie Jones, Cowshed
vicki@wearecowshed.co.uk / hollie@wearecowshed.co.uk
02920 789321
Notes to Editors:
About Cardiff Business Improvement District
After a month-long postal ballot, Cardiff Business Improvement District (BID) was voted in, in July 2016.聽The BID area covers 130 streets across Cardiff and is now one of the largest in the UK based on numbers.
Over its five-year term, Cardiff BID will raise over 拢1.5m revenue each year to spend on the things that聽businesses (retail, leisure, tourism, office and commercial) voted for in the business plan.聽For more information on Cardiff BID鈥檚 five-year plan, read the full strategy or review the Cardiff BID
Factsheet.
What is a Business Improvement District (BID)?
BIDs are an arrangement whereby businesses come together and decide which improvements they feel聽could be made in their city centre, also how they will implement these improvements and what it will聽cost them. BIDs are financed and controlled by the businesses within the selected area. BIDs can run for聽a maximum of five years and during this time they must be able to show that they are benefitting the聽businesses that fund it.
BIDs are an opportunity for business to come together, decide what additional improvements they want聽to make to their location, how they are going to manage and deliver those improvements, and what聽they are prepared to pay for them.