Would you pay extra for secure parking?

Start lobbying your local council now, coin-operated ground anchors with built-in helmet storage safes are now available. So isn’t it time there were some in your town?

Security firm Eurosecure is hoping they will be installed in car parks and on busy town centre roads.

The firm reckons the cost of buying and installing them could be recovered by either charging you to use them via an integral coin slot or selling ad space on them.

” It would be more expensive than installing simple bars to lock bikes to, ” admits Eurosecure spokesman Stephen Oscroft, ” but it could be a revenue generator for local authorities. Our ground anchors could pay for themselves within a year. ”

The firm is also hoping employers will buy the devices, too. They cost between £300 and £500 each.

Mark Rickard is the principal road safety officer for the local council in Walsall, West Midlands, one of the areas hardest hit by bike crime. He has a budget of £75,000 to spend on facilities for motorcyclists. And after seeing the new ground anchor at the NEC show, he said: ” It’s the kind I’d of thing I’d like to see on the roadside. ”

I’ve told Eurosecure I’ll be more interested if the design is looked at and a chain is added. ”

Would you be prepared to pay for additional security? If systems like this were available in towns, would you be more likely to ride your bike to work? Follow the link, right, to have your say.