Rotorua Lakes Council has partnered with Rotorua Police in joining 529 Garage, an online bike security platform that aims to help reduce bike thefts and the recovery of stolen bikes.
To raise awareness of the initiative, Council recently hosted three activation events to provide education about the bike security platform and encourage registration.
Rotorua Lakes Council Sustainable Journeys Coordinator, Rachel Doelman says joining the 529 Garage initiative was a ‘no brainer’ for the district given Rotorua is well known as a biking mecca in Aotearoa New Zealand.
“We’re excited to be a part of this kaupapa (project) and believe it will have genuine benefits for the community in terms of recovering stolen bikes, while also encouraging cycling, which is what the Safe and Sustainable Journeys team is all about – a city where everyone can travel around safely and freely,” she said.
“Importantly, this initiative also directly aligns with Council’s Community Safety work which encourages a priority-led approach to a safe community that takes active steps to prevent crime and provide an environment in which residents can fully participate.”
Ms Doelman says for 529 Garage to be successful locally, the more users that sign up, the better.
“By registering and adding the tamper-resistant sticker with a unique serial number to your paihikara (bike), this means there’ll be a whole community that gets notified and can assist the Police in helping to recover your bike.”
