Bike theft a big problem

We’ve already seen the articles talking about how the number of bike thefts has grown since last year, and this is after the RCMP busted a bicycle chop shop last summer. What is happening?

Kids are having their cool BMX bikes stolen from school yards. Teenagers are having their bikes lifted out of their backyards and off their patios (even heard about one being stolen with a ladder from an apartment.) Adults are having the locks cut off their bikes at work in the underground parking.

There are a lot of people who depend on their bicycles as their main mode of transportation. It comes as a huge blow when they step outside from shopping and it’s gone!

At a Kelowna Area Cycling Coalition speaking event two years ago, one of the board members came out of Parkinson Rec Centre to find their bike missing from the rack. The other four bikes locked up were still safely there. Even though it had been locked up the cable was not able to withstand a quick chop with a set of bolt cutters.

Sadly, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you are, bike theft is rising as quickly as more people are using a bike to get around.

Last year, there was a stolen bike recovered by the RCMP that was returned to the owners. But the owners were moving up north and didn’t want to take the bike with them, so they locked it up in front of the detachment building and left town.

I remember noticing this bike out there with it’s evidence tag and then noticing it again a week or two later with little left of it other than the frame and handlebars, still locked to the bike rack. Checking in with the staff inside, I was told the background of the bike, I told them I’d like to take it to Bikeways over on Bertram where they might get some use out of the leftover parts and they said sure.

Two days later, I returned with my cargo trailer attached to my bike and a hacksaw. Time to free the bike! For about three minutes I sawed my way through the cable, not really hurrying, but definitely curious if someone would ask me what I was doing. Couple of people passed me without making eye contact, but not even an officer from the detachment came out to see what the noise was. No wonder the bike was so easily parted out even at that location. If you see something suspicious, question it.

But that makes the point that I’d like to see us do something about. Our sense of community is lost and with it the bike thieves have an easy time with taking our stuff.

Some things to think about when out and about:

• Use a strong lock - it’s quite easy to snip a thin cable lock apart with concealable bolt cutters, opt to get something with a chain or a metal bar, like a U-lock or something that says “New York Chain.”
• Lock around the frame and at least one wheel - never lock to just a wheel, especially if you have quick-release wheels.
• Lock to a bike rack first, then if you can’t find a rack handy look for something that can’t be “lifted over” - don’t use a parking or even a head height signpost with a small parking sign on it.
• Higher traffic areas are safer - locking your bike up where there will be a lot of people walking by all the time is better than around the corner out of the way. Thieves like their privacy when busting a lock or such.

Some things to think about at home:

• Don’t think it’s safe if it’s in the backyard behind a privacy fence. Sadly, they will go into your backyard just to check for bikes that are easy to grab.
• Even if it’s in your locked garage when you’re away on vacation, throw a good lock around it. The more work thieves have to do the more they will think about finding something else.

There are two types of bike thieves, opportunistic and organized. It’s pretty easy to foil the first type — don’t leave your bike unlocked and unattended. The second can be hard to foil when they’re determined, but that’s where community comes in, looking out for each other and speaking up when you see suspicious behaviour.

Is your bike worth something to you? Take some time to make sure that you have the serial number (stamped under the bottom bracket) and take some good pictures of the bike, including your posing with it.

Project 529, a Seattle based program that uses a mobile application on your phone to register your own bike will also let you send out an alert to others in the area if your bike is stolen. Pairing a bike shield (tamper-proof sticker) will show thieves that your bike is wired in and they will have to move quicker. Surrey and Vancouver are already showing how Project 529 can get stolen bikes back to their owners faster than before.

Spend a little extra to make sure it’s locked up securely with something like a U-lock or the ABUS Bordo. Don’t depend on a cable lock as your primary security.

Even grassroots efforts like the Facebook group “Lost But Not Gone Kelowna Cycle Recovery” works on giving another avenue to report stolen bikes to the public with people who are out there every day and will keep an eye out.

Until we stop making it easy as individual owners, or as easy as a non-caring community, we will continue to worry about our property being stolen. Get know your neighbours, care about your fellows and in return you’ll get the same.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.