Colchester: vandalism put bike-commuter's life on line (From Gazette)

Colchester: vandalism put bike-commuter's life on line

1:44pm Monday 22nd December 2008

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A CYCLIST has hit out at a vandal who tampered with his brakes and caused him to career into a busy road.

Offshore specialist Steve Walker had returned from work in Norwich on the train on Wednesday when he collected his bike parked at Colchester North Station.

The 55-year-old then got on to return to his Maldon Road home.

“I got on my bike, cycled out of the station, got to the top of the ramp going down onto the main road, put the brake on and nothing happened,” he said.

“In the end I crashed on to the central reservation. I nearly killed myself. It was only then I found that somebody had tampered with my brakes.”

Mr Walker said he carried out repairs, cycled home and contacted British Transport Police. Only later did it sink in how dangerous it could have been for him.

“It was obviously a deliberate thing and it was really dangerous. I could have ended up careering right across the North Station roundabout.

“You just don’t think that someone would deliberately tamper with brakes. I sincerely hope that no other cyclists are having the same thing done to their brakes.”

A spokesman for the British Transport Police confirmed the incident had been reported and said he was not aware of any other similar acts of vandalism.

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