Ministry of Transport officials play down bicycle register idea

The Ministry of Transport has played down a report in Mladá fronta Dnes suggesting that it is proposing the creation of central register of bicycles in a bid to reduce the number of thefts. A ministry official said on Saturday afternoon that the idea was only aimed at fostering debate on the issue of bicycle thefts. The prime minister, Petr Nečas, had said earlier in the day that a register of that type, which would cost around CZK 20 million, would only increase bureaucracy. Last year nearly 8,000 bicycles were stolen in the Czech Republic, where the total number of bikes is around 4 million, Mladá fronta Dnes said.