Enquiries are being made after signs of vandalism in Oldham Mumps’ secure cycle parking.
The cycle hub, one of many across Greater Manchester, is billed as a “safe and secure place to lock your bike under cover”.
The hub, which has 40 spaces and a bike pump, was installed in 2018 as part of £2.1 million worth of investment in cycling and walking in the town centre.
Now, the hub has been left unlocked and with signs of vandalism.
Clothing was seen to be hanging up around the cycle hub, along with people smoking inside it.
Broken bike locks were also found inside the hub, along with a large amount of rubbish.
Membership in the scheme, which states the hub is protected by CCTV and a swipe-card entry system, costs £10 per year.
The adjacent multi-storey car park is free to use, for those with a valid Metrolink ticket.
The cycle hub is usually open only between 6am and midnight, with doors locked outside of this time.
Transport for Greater Manchester bills the cycle hub scheme as “a safe and secure place to lock your bike under cover, away from potential thieves.”
One of two in the borough, there are many similar hubs across Greater Manchester, including in Stockport, Rochdale, Sale, East Didsbury, and MediaCityUK.
Similarly, malfunctioning door locks at Bolton’s cycle hub led to one cyclist giving up on using the system altogether after the doors were left out of action for more than six weeks, meaning an attendant from the nearby interchange had to unlock them manually.
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has said it will be making repairs to Oldham’s hub – and is looking into reports of people potentially living in the hub.
A spokesperson for TfGM said: “We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the recent issues reported at Oldham Mumps Cycle Hub.
“We can confirm that the operator has been made aware of the damage to the lock and will be making the necessary repairs.
“Any instances of theft or anti-social behaviour at the hub should be reported to Greater Manchester Police.”
Recent figures have shown that Oldham has the sixth lowest cycling rate in England, with just 3.3 per cent of adults in Oldham cycling at least once per week – meaning Oldhamers are less than half as likely to cycle regularly than Greater Mancunians as a whole.
Greater Manchester Police has been contacted for comment.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel