Far Gosford Street "not safe for customers" says bike shop

Bike shop moved from Coventry to Kenilworth as customers "did not feel safe", says boss



A bicycle shop which traded for nearly 40 years in Coventry’s Far Gosford Street has moved to Kenilworth – because bosses claim their customers didn’t feel safe visiting the area.

The former Coventry Cycle Centre has moved from Far Gosford Street to Whitemoor Road in Kenilworth and renamed itself The Bike Shop.

Director Chris Steele said he decided to move the shop, which started out as John Atkins Cycles, because too many customers did not feel safe parking their cars nearby or walking to the shop.

He said: “Over the last five years the area has changed.

"We are a destination store and you can’t have a destination store in an area people don’t want to travel to.

"I had one customer who said he only had half-an-hour because his wife had stayed in the car because she didn’t feel safe getting out.

The problem is perception of the area and they are two different things, perception and reality.

“People said they didn’t feel safe parking their cars especially after the council closed the pay and display car park at the bottom of the road.

"When people came by bike they would bring their bikes into the shop.

“If they said, no I’ll leave it outside, and they left it unlocked it would be taken.

“We have had 100 per cent support from customers for what we have decided to do.

"Customers who used to be regulars are now coming back.”

The shop was founded in 1976 by John Aktins, a Coventry born cyclist who had a successful career as a professional rider.

He was in charge until 1987 and the shop kept his name until seven years ago.

He was successful in cyclo cross, winning the Professional National Champion title for six years in a row between 1969 and 1974. He now lives in Wales.

His mother Edith was also a keen cyclist. She was the first woman to ride more than 400 miles in 24 hours.

I travelled up Far Gosford St last week and to be fair I can understand the perceptions.

All things considered, it isn't a particularly good example of what can be done with money and imagination. In fact, I don't think it much different to when I lived up that way 25 years ago.