MORE than a hundred security-enhanced bicycle racks were unveiled on Sunday in the Nee Soon South ward.
Funded by the Sembawang-Nee Soon Town Council, the racks are designed to discourage thieves. The 10 void decks installed with them so far were chosen based on the number of bicycle thefts in the area, a town council spokesman said. Figures for bike thefts in the ward were not available. But islandwide, such cases have been on the rise. Police said 1,137 cases were reported last year, compared to 719 in 2010.
Using a slot-and-bar system, the retrofitted bicycle racks have a stainless steel box on one side. After a resident has wheeled his bicycle into the rack, he inserts the lock bar through a slot, and then padlocks it from below.
Unlike regular bicycle chains, the stainless steel box conceals the lock and allows access only from below, making it more difficult to cut the lock.
