Cafe landlord threatens to cut bikes in half
A FEDUP Outram landlord says he will ‘‘absolutely’’ follow through on threats to saw in half any bikes left in his driveway.
Two signs have recently been installed on either side of The Wobbly Goat Cafe stating any bicycles found in the neighbouring driveways would be bisected by the property owner.
An example had been strapped next to each of the signs, with the front half of a bike on the west side and the back half on the east.
The cafe posted to social media to say it had no part in installing the signs and was ‘‘very disappointed and saddened’’ by the situation.
The man behind the sign is Lawrence Tamplin, who owns the property and operates a joinery business out the back.
For more than 15 years he has been struggling with cyclists blocking his driveway, trapping him inside and making him late for deliveries.
‘‘Will I go through with it? Absolutely.
‘‘I don’t care if they’re
$20,000 bloody battery bikes, I don’t care,’’ he said.
He said he ‘‘couldn’t give a flying f...’’ about complaints.
People would chain their bikes to his gates and lean them on his fence, sometimes more than 10 at a time.
He asked people to move their bikes, but was often left waiting 20 minutes while they finished ‘‘their buns and their coffees’’.
There were two driveways into the back and often people would simply take their bike from one and move it to the other, which did not solve the issue as then that route was blocked.
He had already tried installing other signs, but the cyclists ignored them, he said.
‘‘How clear do you have to make it?’’
They could lean ‘‘50,000’’ bikes on his front fence and he would not care, but if they were in his driveway he would be cutting them in half.
‘‘If they’re on my property I can do what I like with them.’’
He had checked with his lawyer and believed he had that right.
It was detailed in the lease of the cafe that they were responsible for keeping the driveways clear at all times, Mr Tamplin said.
AOK Shark Bell Riders organiser John Fridd said it was a very popular spot for cyclists who liked to stop for a coffee.
This week he had a group of 35 stop at the cafe, some of whom ‘‘innocently’’ put their bicycles in the driveway.
One of those riders, who did not want to be named, said Mr Tamplin came out with an angle grinder and threatened to cut the bikes.
It was private property and he was justified in having the signs there, but there was ‘‘no need to be abusive’’, he said.
Wobbly Goat Cafe owner Andrea Cookson said she was ‘‘trying to resolve this issue amicably with the landlord’’.
She did not want to make any further comments as she was ‘‘hoping for a positive resolution that works for all parties’’.