'Somebody stole my BBC bike in Amsterdam

[ad_1] <img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/0069/live/8cfae880-37fe-11f0-9fd9-17e174727c02.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/0069/live/8cfae880-37fe-11f0-9fd9-17e174727c02.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/0069/live/8cfae880-37fe-11f0-9fd9-17e174727c02.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/0069/live/8cfae880-37fe-11f0-9fd9-17e174727c02.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/0069/live/8cfae880-37fe-11f0-9fd9-17e174727c02.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/0069/live/8cfae880-37fe-11f0-9fd9-17e174727c02.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/0069/live/8cfae880-37fe-11f0-9fd9-17e174727c02.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/0069/live/8cfae880-37fe-11f0-9fd9-17e174727c02.jpg.webp" loading="eager" alt="BBC A woman in a red dress stands next to a cargo bike in a bike lane with her daughter in the front." class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> BBC Anna Holligan's bike meant quite a bit to her and different folks

I used to be planning an peculiar afternoon out - luggage packed, able to roll - once I bounded downstairs and was hit by a jolt of disbelief.

The area the place my cargo bike ought to have been was empty, and the double lock that had bolted it to my Amsterdam house wall was hacked.

My daughter darted between the opposite bikes, satisfied somebody will need to have moved it, however no, it was gone.

With biking deeply embedded in each day life right here within the Netherlands - a part of the "Dutch DNA", as we are saying - I've no automotive, so used my bike for every little thing, from the varsity run to a procuring journey.

This was no peculiar bicycle. My colleague Kate Vandy and I retrofitted it to grow to be a cellular broadcasting studio, which we named the Bike Bureau. I began "Dutch Information from the Cycle Path", a reporting collection born on the varsity run after my daughter requested me: "Why do not you simply inform folks the information now?"

The bike allowed me to achieve breaking information scenes and broadcast reside from anyplace, my daughter by my aspect, exhibiting that working motherhood may very well be seen, joyful and actual.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/492c/live/4bc64c20-383e-11f0-9064-051c64605b69.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/492c/live/4bc64c20-383e-11f0-9064-051c64605b69.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/492c/live/4bc64c20-383e-11f0-9064-051c64605b69.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/492c/live/4bc64c20-383e-11f0-9064-051c64605b69.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/492c/live/4bc64c20-383e-11f0-9064-051c64605b69.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/492c/live/4bc64c20-383e-11f0-9064-051c64605b69.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/492c/live/4bc64c20-383e-11f0-9064-051c64605b69.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/492c/live/4bc64c20-383e-11f0-9064-051c64605b69.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="A cargo bike with a retrofitted table, laptop, microphones and an 'on air' sign - a mobile broadcast studio on a bike that could be used by the BBC." class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> The bike served as a cellular broadcasting facility to go reside on the BBC

It opened doorways to collaborations, awards and a group of people that noticed themselves in our story.

I've zero expectation of getting the bike again, and trying to find it has confirmed fruitless. I known as the police instantly and so they opened a case, however closed it shortly afterwards due to an absence of proof that will assist discover the thief.

Individuals on-line and in my local people have rallied spherical to attempt to discover it since I put out an attraction. Neighbours requested if I used to be okay, telling me they cherished to see me get pleasure from their bike lanes and see their metropolis from my foreigner's perspective.

However why, my daughter requested, accomplish that many individuals care that our bike was stolen?

A life-hack and a lot extra

Colleagues and buddies responded to my Instagram Reel concerning the theft. Legendary BBC camerawoman Julie Ritson known as my bike a blueprint for the way forward for journalism. Others stated it was a relatable life-hack that confirmed how one individual can handle motherhood and profession, and impressed them to rethink what's doable with a cargo bike.

It was solar-powered, chopping the necessity for satellite tv for pc vehicles with heavy gear and the air pollution that mode of transport brings.

Analysis final yr from the Reuters Institute for the Examine of Journalism exhibits audiences will not be solely concerned with local weather change information - they're notably engaged by tales that spotlight people taking empowering motion in response to the disaster.

<img sizes="(min-width: 1280px) 50vw, (min-width: 1008px) 66vw, 96vw" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/240/cpsprodpb/c4fa/live/bfcb8660-37ff-11f0-9fd9-17e174727c02.jpg.webp 240w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/320/cpsprodpb/c4fa/live/bfcb8660-37ff-11f0-9fd9-17e174727c02.jpg.webp 320w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/c4fa/live/bfcb8660-37ff-11f0-9fd9-17e174727c02.jpg.webp 480w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/640/cpsprodpb/c4fa/live/bfcb8660-37ff-11f0-9fd9-17e174727c02.jpg.webp 640w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/800/cpsprodpb/c4fa/live/bfcb8660-37ff-11f0-9fd9-17e174727c02.jpg.webp 800w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1024/cpsprodpb/c4fa/live/bfcb8660-37ff-11f0-9fd9-17e174727c02.jpg.webp 1024w,https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/1536/cpsprodpb/c4fa/live/bfcb8660-37ff-11f0-9fd9-17e174727c02.jpg.webp 1536w" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/480/cpsprodpb/c4fa/live/bfcb8660-37ff-11f0-9fd9-17e174727c02.jpg.webp" loading="lazy" alt="A woman with blonde hair in a red dress and sunglasses stands looking at the camera while holding a microphone." class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/> Some folks have expressed shock that "this sort of factor" would occur within the Netherlands. What they could not realise is that bike theft is endemic right here. Final yr, greater than 86,000 bikes have been reported stolen within the Netherlands, up 1,000 in comparison with the yr earlier than, and 10,000 greater than in 2022, based on police figures. Authorities say an increase in experiences could have contributed to this.

Most bikes stolen are stripped for elements or bought on. My e-cargo bike value practically €5,000 (£4,200) - greater than our previous automotive which I bought.

I paid for the bike, so the BBC has undergone no monetary loss.

What it actually purchased me was independence - and in a approach, shedding it's like shedding a pal. Other than the impression by myself way of life, that bike gave my daughter a magical, nature-filled childhood: picnics within the dunes, detours to see highland cows, fairy lights in winter, breezy rides to the seashore in summer season.

The theft has sparked conversations about city security, biking infrastructure, and the burdens moms nonetheless carry. However it's additionally a testomony to the group we have constructed and the ability of sharing genuine tales from the saddle.