A BEMUSED shop owner is questioning the council’s decision to install three more bike stands outside her shop in St Albans.

Thelma Sheehan, who owns A Stitch in Time on Vesta Avenue, said she was “flabbergasted” by the move to install three more stands after the initial ones, installed a year ago, have not been used.

Mrs Sheehan said: “There were never any bikes in them. They’re used primarily by the school children who do somersaults through them.

“I’m annoyed because I pay my rates and that’s a total waste of money when you consider that we’re supposed to be making cuts and saving money.”

There is now space for 10 bikes to be left outside the shop, although Mrs Sheehan said she had never seen more than one bike stand there in the last 12 months.

Andrew Robertson, head of environmental and regulatory services at St Albans district council, said: “It is one of the council’s priorities to reduce city centre congestion and the district’s carbon footprint.

“As part of that, we are working on ways to encourage people to switch away from using cars for short journeys to greener methods of transport, including bicycles.

“We have increased the number of cycling parking facilities available by installing multiple cycle racks at various locations in St Albans, including local shopping centres like Vesta Avenue, in a bid to make it easier for people to use their bicycles.”