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Camden News - by SIMON WROE
Published: 14 August 2008

Teacher Miriam Harriot’s bike after it was clamped

Cyclists face clamping for parking their bikes by railings

EVERY day they face urban hazards including bicycle thieves, vandals and bendy buses. And now cyclists have a new enemy in the shape of clampers.
The handiwork of clamp-happy employees of Network Rail is clearly demonstrated in this picture taken outside St Pancras International
The photo was snapped by Miriam Harriot, a teacher from Harrington Street in Somers Town, who returned to the station after visiting a friend in Kent to find her bike clamped to the railings on Pancras Road with an unfamiliar heavy-duty lock.
A note attached to the bike informed her she would have to plead with the Network Rail station manager for its release.
Ms Harriot said: “I was furious. I’ve never met anyone who has had their bike clamped. I didn’t even know that it existed, but I think it’s a slippery slope. They’ll be charging for bikes to be released soon, like cars. It’s completely out of order.”
Ms Harriot eventually had her bike released by a Network Rail employee who told her the railings were the property of the railway company and that she had violated safety regulations by parking her bicycle there.
The incident happened just days before neighbouring Westminster Council introduced parking fees for motorcyclists, prompting fears that soon bicycles will be ticketed as well.
Network Rail said they had no plans to start charging for clamp removal and that they were “just trying to educate people” by clamping bicycles that had been parked contrary to their health and safety standards.
A spokesman for the company added: “We recognise that bike users may find this an inconvenience. However, we would hope they recognise we are doing this in the interest of public safety and that there are three bike racks that you can use free of charge at that station.”

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I fail to understand why a push-bike chained to railings at St Pancras station is a saftey violation. More importantly, I cannot comprehend how Network Rail's action (i.e. chaining it there with their own lock) helps the situation. After all, if the bike cannot be removed by its owner, it remains a safety issue for even longer!
Steve Smith