Bicycles stolen from Avianto – owner speaks
The owner gives some advice on how you can keep your bicycle safe.
Avianto Hotel in Muldersdrift has urged cyclists to be more vigilant after a woman claimed that two of her bicycles were stolen from the hotel’s parking lot recently.
A man driving a white Toyota Hilux allegedly drove into the parking lot, loaded two bicycles onto the back of his bakkie and drove out.
Police are in the process of questioning the man. There has been a lot of talk about this particular man and his vehicle being seen with other possible stolen bicycles on it, however, no one has come forward with substantial evidence supporting the claims.
If you do have evidence, please open a case at the police station as soon as possible.
“As a devout and passionate cyclist and the owner of the hotel, I know how expensive these bicycles can be,” said Trevor D’Oliveira. “But I feel that we’ve all learnt a very valuable lesson from this incident – please take better care of your bicycles, and be vigilant. We’ve also upgraded our security to ensure that we too do something to keep you and your bicycles safe.”
Trevor gave the following tips on how you could keep your bicycle safe:
• Take a picture of your bicycle so that when police ask you to show them the bicycle that was stolen, you have proof of what it looks like. We’ve also taken the time and effort to buy a security system where we will now take pictures of each car with bicycles on to make sure the same bicycle leaves with the same car.
• Try not to leave your bicycle alone. If there’s space for you to park your bicycle within sight of where you sit to drink coffee or eat lunch, please do so.
• There’s a brand of spray paint that uses microdot technology as a method of verification. You spray a piece of paint onto the bicycle and the microdot can then be scanned by a bicycle shop if someone wants to sell it back to them. For more information about microdots, visit https://veridot.co.za/site/microdot-technology.
• Protect your bike by adding a tracker to it. If you’re buying a bike worth a hundred grand, why not spend a few grand more to keep it safe? Trackers are usually not that expensive and there are hundreds of different companies to choose from. For more information about bicycle trackers, visit https://www.pedalpower.org.za/ppa_benefits/ppa-members-get-discount-cyclesafe-bicycle-tracking/.
• Get bicycle insurance. It’s worth the extra cost. For more information about bicycle insurance, visit https://www.cyclesure.co.za/.
• Try not to leave your bike on the car rack. If you have no choice, make an effort to lock it or secure it properly.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at northsider@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
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