Watch a bunch of feral Neds going out equipped and using a hammer to smash the locks on Next Bikes at Partick. I later noticed them all riding on Argyle Street at Finnieston with them. The Ned on the yellow wheeled bike noticed me watching them and got a bit agressive. Since there was a hammer in use I decided to move on.

Next Bike run a useful bike hire scheme in Glasgow. Recently the prices increased much to the dismay of the regular users of the service.

I have noticed that in Glasgow the majority of the bikes are being used by Neds and Junkies. They don't pay anything for them and either look for inadvertently unlocked bikes or use brute force to break the wheel locks and steal them.

The bikes get discarded and / or vandalised leading to higher costs for everyone. A similar scheme has already been withdrawn in Edinburgh due to vandalism and theft. Other cities such as Cardiff have also had bikes withdrawn.

This bike theft crime seems to go largely unchallenged by both the public and the police.

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