Cambridge. Is it safe to leave a bike on the street?

[vaclove]

Hello everybody,
I am about to move from Scotland to Cambridge soon and I plan to take my belowed 800GS with me.
I was wondering if someone can give me some advice whereabout would be the best place to look for a flat/house and if it reasonably safe to leave my darling on the street overnight. Or should I go for a place with garage?

I dont want to be a Scottish villager, who's bike is stolen from him while he waits at the traffic lights..

Many thanks for any advice


Vaclav

 

[Pathologic]

not if you are a student!

Undergrads are not allowed to own a motocycle within 10 miles of Great St Mary's without support form their tutor and special circumstances and an annual certificate from The ProProctor or some such.

I know cause my daughter is working on it.

Her insurance with a CB postcode will be a third of the cost of an E13 post code. That says something

I think you will find anything close to the centre will usually be without a garage.

Best of luck.

 

[Ian916]

Cambridge is so middle England - should be safe on the street in comparison to other cities.

Be aware that this city is focused on bicycles, not cars or motorbikes. A few of the city center flats have off street parking on the front, - converted Victorian houses.

 

[allthegearnoidea]

Listen I never want to say never..... but I think it is very unlikely that your bike will get nicked in Cambridge. I love and work in Cambridge and park my bike on the road and on the pavement. No problems at all. Crime is very low in Cambridge and pushbikes are more likely to be nicked. There are plenty of official motorcycle spaces and you are allowed to park free in city centre car parks.

Residential areas do vary with as a rule of thumb the north of the City being slightly more tricky than the south. I think you will be able to tell whether you need a garage or not by the kind of area your flat is in.

Its not a major motorbike City but there are plenty of us around if you look carefully!

If you want any more detail pm me.

 

[Udders]

You are welcome to use my garage if you don't mind a 40 mile walk to work.

 

[dazchallenge]

Hi Dave,
you say "I love and work in cambridge" have you told the wife!

 

[vaclove]

Many thanks

not a student anymore-those years are long gone so noone can separate me from my beloved.
I would prefer to park it in the living room, but my wife might have some issues with that.

Many thanks everybody. I'll check the houses soon and hopefully find something suitable.

Vaclav

 

[Bikerjim]

Listen I never want to say never..... but I think it is very unlikely that your bike will get nicked in Cambridge. I love and work in Cambridge and park my bike on the road and on the pavement. No problems at all. Crime is very low in Cambridge and pushbikes are more likely to be nicked. There are plenty of official motorcycle spaces and you are allowed to park free in city centre car parks.

Residential areas do vary with as a rule of thumb the north of the City being slightly more tricky than the south. I think you will be able to tell whether you need a garage or not by the kind of area your flat is in.

Its not a major motorbike City but there are plenty of us around if you look carefully!

If you want any more detail pm me.

+1 on that one

On the subscibers list is a gent "roger chatterton" nice chap who may know where lock ups are avalible

Good luck and may see you around

Jim

 

[brianmaslen]

You will find that the vast majority of property in the centre of Cambridge is owned/rented by the Uni's with students in mind and as such rarely have garages attached to them. However as you move away from the centre by half a mile or so then small front gardens start to appear and people tend to park bikes etc in them. Good locks are essential of course. Moving out slightly also means the rent drops a little, also shared houses with rooms to rent are more common and of course these come with gardens and occassionally garages. As someone has mentioned the south of the city tends to be safer but you get a lot more choice by moving out but still remaining within walking distance. Roger Chatterton lives close to the center and a PM to him would probaby help you.

 

[Roger Chatterton]

I do indeed live very centrally in Cambridge, in a terrace house, so I have to rent a lock-up. Very lucky to find one close to my house, but hardly cheap, so I share with a pal's 1200GS.
Only the more expensive Cambridge houses have garages close to the centre, but if you can afford around £750K + you might find house has a garage !!
As for on street parking around the city centre, it's nearly all Residents' Parking Permits ...my car permit costs me £54 per annum , and I think a motorbike is half this. Doesn't guarantee you a parking space though -you have to park wherever you can find a spot within your Permit's area. Can be a nightmare, especially after around 7pm.
I did rent a lock up for a while from the City Council, and they do have a few sites scattered around Cambridge.
If you want to drop me a PM, or give me a call, only too happy to try and be of help, but do you know whereabouts in/around Cambridge you are thinking of living. Out in the villages to the North of Cambs will be a fair bit cheaper, but don't move too far out, as they all have webbed feet and 2 heads, and are married to their sisters !
The Fens are a bit er, ....strange that way !!!
To sum up, personally I certainly would not park my motorbike on the streets overnight; despite its halcyon image, Cambs has as big a drug/drink problem as pretty much any other city, and the petty thieving/vandalism that accompanies the problems.
Given up replacing wing mirrors on my car for example - I manage with just one nowadays !

 

[Zoomboxer]

No, would not park the bike outside-over-night. Cambridge, whilst all nice and tourisity, still has some crime. Too many pikeys, eastern europeans and other undesirables.

North of Cambridge, 1 1/2 miles from town and double garage - I love it