Mandatory registration of all bikes sold needed – Noone

Dublin Senator Catherine Noone has called for mandatory registration of all bikes sold to be introduced in order to counter increases in bike theft.

Senator Noone said, “Figures disclosed last week showed that 4,000 bicycles were stolen in Dublin last year, this is an intolerable situation and one that must be tackled effectively going forward.

“Currently we do not have any central database of bikes owned in Dublin and registration can be done through some online sites but this remains a minority and voluntary endeavour. By introducing registration of all bikes at shops and other outlets, we can ensure that the vast majority of new bikes on our streets are registered.

“This means that in the unfortunate, but sadly not unusual, event that a bike is stolen, registration details can be provided to the Gardaí who can then correctly identify the owner of the bike. This will not interfere with any other aspect of cycling in Dublin.

Senator Noone added: “Introducing such a measure, will provide a greater deterrent to would-be thieves and also more security for bicycle owners of whom, some are being put off using their bikes in the city for fear of theft.

“We cannot allow this situation to go unchecked, implementing mandatory registration will be a first step in the right direction to reducing bike theft figures.”