Driving up the wall: A surreal turn for bicycle security

London – A new security device design is keeping bicycles off the pavement and out of reach of thieves. The recession has seen an explosion in the numbers of people giving up their bus passes and keeping their cars in the garage, in favour of two-wheeled transport. As a result, design is now addressing a situation where more bicycles are left unattended and vulnerable to theft.

Royal College of Art student Dominic Hargreaves has invented a possible solution – by keeping the bike up in the air, well out of reach of thieving hands. The device features a cradle which holds the bike eight feet above the ground on the side of a wall, lowered by a hoist that only the owner can control. His idea came after his third was stolen in the capital. ‘It doesn’t matter how big your bike lock is, someone will have bigger bolt cutters, so I tried to look for another way,’ says Hargreaves. The idea will be developed further into a public space solution to the growing competition for places to lock up your two-wheeler.