"Stolen" CyclePoint bikes weren't stolen after all

Bikes which were reported to have been stolen from the UK’s biggest cycle park in Cambridge on Friday were in fact removed by contractors to a secure location, before being returned to their owners, road.cc has learned.

Following an article we published on Friday in which a man, quoted by the Cambridge News, said his daughter’s bike was stolen after contractors at CyclePoint removed them to carry out maintenance, Abellio Greater Anglia has assured road.cc all bikes were in fact safely returned to their owners.

The train company told road.cc bikes were removed from stands where warning notices had been placed asking people not to leave their bikes there ahead of planned works. They were moved to a secure place and were not left unlocked, a spokesperson said.

Cambridge Railway Station's new CyclePoint opens (+ gallery)

Juliette Maxam, a spokesperson for Abellio Greater Anglia told road.cc: “No bikes were stolen when contractors were carrying out work at CyclePoint last Friday. Cycles that were left at stands where notices had been placed warning people not to leave bikes there were removed by contractors and stored under lock and key. All of the bikes have been safely returned to their owners."

Maxam couldn't explain why one man claimed his daughter's bike had been taken and the others left unlocked, but the man had not contacted the station manager, or police, and no bikes were reported stolen.

The stands were removed, with the bikes locked to them, and moved to a secure area, she said.

Cambridge’s £2.5m, 3000 space multi-storey bike park, which is free to use, is the UK’s largest. It features a number of different bike racks designed to accommodate the range of bikes found in Cambridge, from Sheffield stands designed to hold cargo bikes, to double-decker racks with wide spacing to accommodate the typical Cambridge town bike, with wide handlebars and a basket. CCTV cameras and manned security patrols are also in operation at the site.