Five easy ways to reduce bike theft in your community
Vložit
- čas přidán 2. 06. 2024
- There are easy things that every community can do to help prevent bike theft, despite a lingering attitude that sky-high rates of theft are just part of living in a city.
Exploring these ideas with me is Rob Brunt, the former Vancouver police detective who now works for Project 529, and has done more work around preventing bike theft than almost anybody else. Together, we take a walk around Vancouver, which was once the worst city for bike theft in North America, but has seen an amazing 52 per cent reduction in reported thefts over the past seven years. Part of this reduction is due to simple measures that any community can do.
0:00 Introduction
2:14 Tactic 1: Place bike racks in prominent locations.
4:20 Tactic 2: A loaner-lock program.
5:37 Tactic 3: A valet bike-parking program.
7:27 Tactic 4: Education.
8:45 Interlude
9:00 Tactic 5: Repurposing car parking.
10:10 Next Steps: Scaling the program.
My playlist about bike theft prevention: • Stopping Bike Theft
A big thanks to Rob Brunt of Project 529 for sharing his time and expertise.
Project 529: project529.com/garage
#cycling #bike #commuting
My bag, backpack and pannier sponsor is Two Wheel Gear - the best bags I've used for urban cycling and bike commuting: bit.ly/3MRtdfA
Buy my book Frostbike: The Joy, Pain and Numbness of Winter Cycling: rmbooks.com/book/frostbike/
I don’t really do proper product reviews, but here are some products that I’ve tried on this channel that I like. (Of course you don’t need anything fancy to ride a bike, other than a bike, but these are Amazon affiliate links, and I get paid a small commission if you buy them 😉)
• Here's the winter bike I'm riding these days: bit.ly/2PhqUqF
• Cliq Smart Bike Light (nice rear brake light): amzn.to/39lfqwo
• RedShift Acrlight Smart LED Pedals (clever lights for your pedals): amzn.to/3NL1Npg
• Aftershokz Titanium bone-conducting headphones (if you want to listen while you ride): amzn.to/3e9Tofa
• JBL CLip 4 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker (for your party-pace group rides): amzn.to/3pcMLPm
• Crane Bicycle Bell (the ding is sublime): amzn.to/3OwfZCu
• Ibex Merino Wool clothing (good for summer and winter): bit.ly/3xXkbEd
• Bicycle Cargo Net (why did it take so long for me to buy one of these?): amzn.to/31s1Ovu
• Vaude Cover II Rain Poncho (for higher-end, try Cleverhood or People’s Poncho): amzn.to/3jLkift
• Kryptonite U-Lock (your bike is going to get stolen eventually, sigh, but at least make it hard): amzn.to/3tPWcGi
• Peak Design phone case (the one I use, paired with the Peak Design phone mount): amzn.to/3HGM0FU
Follow me!
Twitter: / tombabin
TikTok: / tom_babin
Instagram: / tombabin - Zábava
Great video. Part of the problem with bike infrastructure is that people aren't going to bike somewhere if they can't safely lock their bike when they get there. Then the city says 'oh well, nobody's using the bike lanes better remove em'. As an avid Vancouver cyclist, I didn't even know about some of these initiatives. Very cool
Thats very true. I know personally I choose my shopping destinations based on bike parking availability. If theres a pharmacy 5 minutes away with no bike rack you better believe Im biking to the 1 10 minutes away with a bike rack at the front door.
@@theepimountainbiker6551 Although, when I go to my pharmacy, I just bike through the drive-through. I asked the pharmacists one time if anyone else ever did that. Seems that I'm the only one. Which is sad, because it's a big, popular grocery store in the middle of a quite walkable and bikeable neighborhood.
@@Jinnitaur 🤣 thats funny. I've never done drivethru on a bike but thought about. Theres this woman at a long term care home nearby she always does the Tim Hortons drive thru on her 4 wheel scooter
@@theepimountainbiker6551 It’s great they accommodate her. I tried using drive-thrus at fast food places here. I did that a couple times but then I was told I wouldn’t be allowed to do that anymore because of their liability insurance stipulations. It must be true in the US as other places have also told me that when I tried to take my bike through theirs.
At least my local bank is cool with me riding through their drive-thru service (because they don’t have a secure bike rack, and I have to go through three sets of doors since that branch is also an administrative office for them).
@@chow-chihuang4903 I've been told no several times when taking my bike through drive-throughs I'd say ~30% success rate. Usually it's been because I don't have a lock with me, and just want to grab some fast food on the way home from work, etc, and I just end up leaving.
This should be part of the federal government through Transport Canada. The same way we have design laws for cars, roads, highways and other infrastructure, we need a governing body for bicycle infrastructure nationally.
Regarding infrastructure in Canada, there is federal money available for cities, but the cities still need to take the initiative to build it. Some national co-ordination around bike theft would be very helpful
Yeah!. Just. Fucking FILL IT with goverment control
@dannytimms9011 national and international issues aren't going to be addressed by Libertarians 🙄
In NYC, bike theft is pretty common. We just don't report it often. Pretty useless stopping by a precinct
This is pretty common in a lot of cities, but it's also part of the problem -- indifference to the problem doesn't make the problem go away. Having even a small police investment can make a huge difference, but if that's not in place, I think the community can still drive a lot of positive change. That's partly why I wanted to make this video specifically
At the very least, you should be filling out the online form. Even if you aren't planning to file with insurance, it's key to letting politicians know there's an issue.
USA is a business with a country.
Only time I ever had a bike stolen in NYC it was my own damn fault. I suspect that's the case more often than not.
@@felicetankaAh yes, businesses famously don't care about property theft.
Sadly, Vancouver's new city government isn't really all that enthused about bikes. Currently about 6km of Broadway are being ripped up to build a Skytrain extension. Originally the plan was to include bike lanes and pedestrian infrastructure in the finished project. Not anymore! 6 lanes for cars only are the plan now. Faaaantastic.
Hmmmm let me guess the government responsible rhymes with preservatives....lol
I've never heard of loaner locks or bike valets before, but they sound like great options for bike-dense places and events!
Bike valets are so good at events. They should be used everywhere!
Never thought of the loaner locks either but a clever idea for bike friendly areas
Would love to see bike valets at events. Thefts are high during the block parties my town has despite the visible bike racks. Would help promote biking to the events as well. Then there is the "accidental" locking of multiple bikes with a single lock technique. Even if non-malicious can be a pain for someone's day/night. The loaner programs also in a way promote good locks. Cheap locks lead to many bikes stolen outside of bars and grocery stores in my area.
It does make me think that if you really wanted to steal a lot of bikes, just get a tent, a vest, and a sign that says "Bike Valet" and show up near a major event with a clipboard. Take 200 bikes and be gone by the time the event lets out.
I've asked at a couple places when i’ve forgotten my lock and they had loaners! awesome! Also, more racks should have locks built in or chained to the rack, then you know it’s there and can just ask inside for the key. Would be a really simple system
I appreciate the tip about using multiple locks, as well as a few different lock types, to deter thieves. Also parking bikes in a huge group of other bikes increases the chance a cyclist will come by and notice the lock tampering, recognize it for what it is. Great video!
I like the idea of a loaner-lock program adding a second lock to a bike, because I don't think anybody relishes the idea of carrying around two locks
I certainly have forgotten my bicycle lock more than once. Loaner locks sound like a smart idea..
I always have 3 locks and also an alarm on the bike. They tried once and failed, it was in downtown Vancouver. Thanks!
@@jsrodman You don't lock your locks to your bike?
I wonder if the system we have here in Japan would work? We only use either a wheel lock or a cheap cable lock here and haven't had my expensive MTB stolen.
The system we have here is a combination of Police prescence and required bike registration that the police can query on the national database. Police also routinely patrol areas and question suspicious behavior, if they think you're stealing a bike they'll ask for the bike registration to see if it's really your bike. This system deter most bike theft here imo.
my city (london ontario) introduced a municipal bike locker pilot project over the past couple years. having access to a secure locker to park my bike totally puts my mind at ease, and enables me to cycle for pretty much all of my needs downtown. hope more cities follow london ontario's lead (never thought i'd say that about cycling lol).
These bike lockers are a great addition to any bike-theft prevention program. Great to hear this is happening in Ontario.
É um prazer ver seus vídeos. Tem ótimos conteúdos. Continue a postar. Obrigado
London is among the top 10 most dangerous cities( crimes) in CAnada ( Statistics Canada most dangerous citues)... so is Brampton, Hamilton, Ste -Catherines , Oshawa , #1 is Surrey VAncouver .
Bicycle racks are placed near the entrance to the shops or mall, an area with security cams, not for the bikes but for general safety. This rewards people who come by bicycle with fast access and gives them some peace of mind about their transport.
Most city centers have guarded bicycle parking and even strollers if you come with kids.
First 24 hours for free. Like on almost all train stations.
And if your bicycle is better locked than the one next to it... and doesn't look 'expensive', chances for it to be there on your return increase.
yea while that is true, my bike was stolen right out front of a Vancouver community center with a camera. They dropped the case almost instantly after they found out they couldn't identify a face thanks to the mask.
@@joshuabowyer5431 That's very sad!
Usually the cameras are monitored, so that guards can be there on time. That's why you got to have locks that delay theft for a few minutes.
Unmonitored cameras are quite useless, they only show that it happened but do not safe lives nor property.
I'm not sure where you're talking about. In Vancouver (and surrounding area), there's still many businesses with no bike racks, or ones in horrible locations, often around a corner from the entrance where they're out of sight. It does seem to be improving in recent years, but it's still far from ideal. Regarding "security guards monitoring cameras", most security guards won't do anything to risk a confrontation. At best, they''ll call the cops who will arrive in time to take a statement about your stolen bike.
@@nwimpney I am from the Netherlands, and the video was about preventing bike theft in general. So I talked about the situation in my town 's-Hertogenbosch.
And though it's probably better than in other places, bike density is much higher as well.
What we've learned is that bicycle users have to become active in a positive way.
Take a picture of a bad situation and address the shopkeeper with a picture of a good example. And explain why good racks in a secure, visible by all, place will increase the number of customers on bikes.
And get organized, advice from experts is even more successful.
These are all good things and I support it but I'm feeling pretty deflated recently after I parked my bike in a well maintained bike parking area, with CCTV right over it, it's next to the shop and is on the main path in the area where everyone entering or exiting the site walks past. Yet after coming back a couple of hours later someone had snapped my chain, cut my rear gear cable and stolen my rear derailleur. They didn't touch the lock or the rest of the bike. It seems that some criminals now target components rather the whole bike now in London, UK.
Just had my custom bike stolen and really wish we had a program like this in my town, to heck with wishing I'm going to do something about this.
This works because you don't solve crime, but prevent it.
If you don't want bike theft, make it too hard.
If you don't want shop lifting, give people enough money to buy food.
If you don't want "lingering homeless" crimes, give people a place to live.
If you don't want so many traffic deaths, don't build an infrastructure that creates them.
This is maybe the best thing about this program. It doesn't "crack down" on crime. It doesn't arrest more people. It doesn't affix blame or punishment. It's preventative. Thanks for the comment.
Not sure what your logic is here, you just said it was good they didn’t try to solve crime but prevented it but when you say give people homes so they aren’t homeless that’s not a preventative measure that’s attempting to solve the issue entirely (which is impossible)
@@coke8077 The crime of being homeless is prevented if you have a home.
@@steemlenn8797 "If you don't want "lingering homeless" crimes, give people a place to live"
I hope you are aware that this is only the slightest bit less stupid than just telling the homeless to go buy a house
"If you don't want shop lifting, give people enough money to buy food." apparently people can eat J's and laptops now
@@jb76489 there are more empty homes than homeless people. Plenty of countries have massively decreased homeless problems by giving people places to live if they're destitute. Don't let perfect be the enemy of good.
Absolutely love it. I had a electric bike stolen last month. It was actually a electric trike a three wheel trike. It was heart breaking because I depended on it for getting groceries. I had insurance and already ordered another one just like it. I did quite a bit of modifying on it. I had a Rubber made container that I put Hidges and a lock on the lid to haul groceries or whatever I'm shopping for. It was a HJM three wheel Cargo bike. I'm getting more locks and a alarm to go on my new bike. Thank you for your hard work Helping victims like us need someone working for us.
Portland Oregon has had a downtown bike valet for the past decade with their aerial tram station that has been widely used by OSHU students. But I might start using it too when I make trips downtown and just walk around. You also have the benefit of not needing to remove detachable items like panniers with bike valet parking too.
These are great ideas, and fairly easily implemented. But they require local govt's and police to do more than just say "we've signed up for 529, so, job done."
In Ottawa, beyond promoting 529, there are a few individual police officers who seem to have taken it upon themselves personally to try to improve response to bike thefts, but it doesn't seem to be something that's actually someone's responsibility (or if it is, that hasn't been communicated to the wider cycling community), and otherwise, the general attitude seems to be a shrug. Much the same with the City of Ottawa.
Opportunistic theft can probably be well dealt with through the measures you've mentioned, although a lot of it is a result of people being poor, unhoused and/or addicted, and stealing for survival, which the cycling community needs to help the larger community to address. And then there's higher level theft behaviour - thieves working with grinders and vehicles to steal more valuable bikes secured in bike rooms, etc. - which seems like it needs more concerted investigative resources to be dedicated by police to identify and prosecute more organized bike thieves.
Yes, let's get everyone's bikes registered (hello bike shops, make it part of your sales procedure) and get people to stop using cable locks (again, bike shops, please stop selling them!), and that would deal with a large proportion of opportunistic thefts. But it's clear there's still a lot more that can be done.
What made this program work in Vancouver was a real commitment by the Vancouver police (meaning one officer was assigned full-time to the problem) and then getting buy in from the community, The registry by itself is not the solution. It's all of these things working together.
Also, people need to try to avoid using expensive bikes. I realize that this isn't always possible.
Ppl post found bikes on a community forum, others say report it, no point, they really can't do much. Others bash YYC police for "lazy". Frankly I'd rather a community member posted or reported to bikeindex or 529 than have it thrown in a police van and auctioned off. Go after the dealers, the gangs, etc. Leave the easy stuff to civic duty. It's our city.
As a Vancouver ex-pat who recently visited Grandville Island, I was super happy to see all the new bike infrastructure. The loaner lock program was particularly smart.
My local police station gives out gun locks for free to promote safe gun storage. I use a gun lock to lock my bike. While it can be easily cut, it’s more of a fear tactic because it’s implying the bike owner has a gun.
Whatever works, I guess.
lol wouldn't work in other parts of the world, people don't know what a gun lock looks like.
I’m in the United States and with all the irresponsible gun owners, I question how many actually know what a gun lock looks like
hey tom, perhaps, you could highlight how much bike ridership/lanes have increased in Van while theft has declined? It's all the more amazing
I recently purchased a Brompton folder. Amazing. No more space, public transport, business entrance, or theft problems for me. I wasn't expecting it to be so rideable.
Agree ... Don't lock it ... Fold it and take it with you !!!
Agree! I have a Brompton too and just fold it up and I’m ready to go! 👍 People are definitely amused to see it fold and unfold - specially little kids! ☺️
Man I'd love a Brompton but the price tag is not something I can afford right now. I use a Zizzo Urbano which is a great budget folding bike but it's significantly larger and a tad heavier than a Brompton, so I'm still a bit limited when it comes to taking it inside certain places. Meanwhile Bromptons literally have a shopping cart mode... I'm so jealous lol
Eh, Bromptons. You could ride a vintage Gary Fisher like I do. Officially it's a beater, as no one messes with it, but it's in excellent condition, not covered in stickers or scratches. Had it about 5 years now, bought for a hundred bucks. So I think if it were stolen, I could replace it 20 times over. 😂
Meanwhile I'll spend my money on other things.😊
@@14motiaceoffix is a good alternative, although it is 2/3 of the price of cheapest Brompton. I personally will be looking at Brompton due to the fact that there are more accessories for it than competitions, but aceoffix might be for you if you aren't as worried about accessories.
3:50 I love how he implied that he values and prioritizes his bike more than his daughter.
It's a data problem. The police here in Germany have one or more databases for stolen frame numbers, but they're not publicly accessible. You need to ask the police to verify every single number. This way, buyers of used bikes have no easy way to check if theirs is stolen; they currently need to make a purchase contract, where they record the sellers ID and the frame number. If their bike turns out to be stolen during a police stop, then they can refer to that contract. So same as in the US - nobody really reports bike theft. If there were a publicly accessible database of all frame numbers reported as stolen, buyers could easily check and the law could require them to do so, placing the burden of verification on them. In effect, a publicly accessible database would make it much harder to sell a stolen bike.
I would add checking the registration number before buying a second hand bike e.g. kijiji. Big Thanks to you and Rob!
Thank you so much for the support. That's a great point. Making sure you're not buying a stolen bike is a big part of this.
I just signed up my bikes on 529 in Denver, Colorado!!! I am waiting for my badges to arrive to show proudly. Happy that Denver is on board, now.
Just wanna say thank you for quality content.
I've just spent my whole shift (as Bike mechanic) watching/ listening your videos. Continue with this beautiful work, greetings from München :)
Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment. I appreciate it!
A huge part of cycling is not just the freedom of movement, but the convenience to park almost anywhere. If I have to look for specific bike 'parking' spots, I might as well just drive - more parking options for a car compared to specialized bike spots.
This is why I like small micro mobility you can carry in with you, put under a desk or table at a cafe, or under your shopping cart.
@@brushlessmotoring EUCs are the best security wise, for now. Those can even be left unattended and chances are, no one will steal them - because no one aside from other EUC owners even knows how to ride them, while the vast majority won't even know what it is. Security through obscurity, so to speak.
@@MrSociofobs yup. I have EUCs. A couple of sketchy folk in Vancouver have asked me questions about them - but they would have to fight me for them! I have AirTags buried inside them too, and I got 529 stickers for my EUCs - they will tag anything that has a serial number - get your wheel done too.
What I don’t like about some of the 529 guys narrative, and I’ve heard from others too, is basically, ‘make your bike less attractive to thieves compared to the bike next to it’ - it’s not about stopping theft, just making your bike less likely to get taken.
The Valet with staff seems to be the way to go, malls should be required to provide them along with their free to use, expensive to build and operate car parking.
It's beneficial to the business to invest in the locks for the lock loaner program same as it is for businesses to pay for the devices that accept credit cards. That gentleman you interviewed is a true passionate human for using his time to make life better for humanity. I really appreciate people like that.
When the Bicycle Film Festival came to the Barbican, London, they had a bicycle valet and it was super well attended. Wish they were common permanent fixtures here.
Usually I don't comment, but since CZcams values engagement and subscribing so much as a way of suggesting a video, I'm pleased to do it. Great video on this subject.
This is such a great video! Thanks, Tom!
I believe every little deterrent adds up to a better security. So we shouldn't just choose one or two of these ways to secure a bike, but we should use all these methods and advice every time, everywhere. Since I've done it, I haven't lost a bike (I've had a few bikes overall and I've had 2 stolen).
This is such an important topic, thanks again Tom!
Thank you Josh. I'm glad to hear people talking about this. I appreciate the support very much.
Great video on a super important topic!
Thanks for sharing this! Been living close to Granville Island for ages and I never knew about the lock loan! Awesome!
As much as these programs all help, it's still a major problem, and it prevents a lot of people from cycling. I think one issue is that the focus specifically on big tourist areas like Granville island, etc, while there's not many good public places to safely park a nice bike downtown, or at a lot of businesses. I know a few people who have had their bikes stolen right outside the building where I work. It has some large bike racks in the breezeway. They're fairly visible, but it seems that the thieves are fine with it.
Another friend with a nice road bike did carry a nice lock, and a cable, so he could u-lock his frame to the rack, and lock his wheels with a cable. He came back to find his seat and handlebars stolen. (his was about $500 to replace bars, levers, saddle, post, cables, but could easily be way more on an expensive bike)
The saddest part, is that most of those people gave up on riding.
I do question whether enough people take it seriously. I think one of the major issues with bike infrastructure in general, is that a lot of people don't think of bikes as real vehicles, the same as their car, etc. Their experience with bicycles is the $300 bike they bought from Canadian Tire, and ride around the park occasionally with their kids. Because of this, I think that some see it as more of a petty nuisance crime, and not a real crime like stealing a car, even though my bike cost more than my car, and I rely on it a lot more for my everyday transportation. Additionally, in many cases it's a far worse crime for the victim than car theft is. If my car gets stolen, and not recovered, I pay my insurance deductable, and get a replacement. It still sucks, but I'm out $500 and a bunch of inconvenience. If my bike gets stolen, that's going to cost me _way_ more money and time.
Thanks Tom, great information that can be transferred to any place in any country.
Make a bike rack with built in locks, or U-locks that are somehow chained to the rack. People can then just ask inside for the key and use the rack. Would quickly show people how extensive the loaner lock program is.
Great advice. Thanks
I would bike so much more if I felt safe doing it in my town. Thanks for sharing this important information!
Pretty cool! The parking valet is a great idea. Here in LA, Metro has some Bike Hubs, and some of them had parking, so you could leave your bike and take the metro. The main difficulty in general for that kind of thing is space, but it is a great solution.
Thanx for bringing this to our attention. such simple methods that makes a Huge difference. i recently had my not to old bike stolen.(bought it 6 months ago). just got the insurance money and placed an order for a bike . i felt sick to my stomach when it happened. but anyways i do miss riding my bike. Investing in new locks. having it registered with the Police and insurance company. But enough about me. I felt great when i saw your video. thanx and keep up the great work. regards from Stockholm Sweden. Hope all bike riders could unite. share ideas and look after each other.
Robbed taking the time to convince that couple is an entirely different level, and I love it
Following on from the first point, the number of parking spots helps a lot too. My city (Cambridge UK) has bike racks on basically every street corner. This means if I'm cycling to a specific place I can leave my bike right outside. So the overall amount of time I'm away from my bike is lower and depending on the destination I can keep an eye on my bike too.
Great video Tom.
Excellent video. Excellent ideas to reduce bike theft. I really like the bike lock lending and bike valet ideas. I would stop more often at brew pubs and restaurants in Seattle if we had these lock lending or bike valet facilities along the bikeways - Fremont, Ballard, Pike place Market, University district, Shilshole, etc. I would carry my own lighter lock and use the lent lock for extra security. My bikes are registered with both Project 529 and Bike Index.
I love my works bike parking setup. Its the only building in the city with a sheltered bike park, not only that its right infront of the building in line of sight of a full time posted security guard and cameras all around. It was put in because employees demanded it, now the rack is at least half full every day (theres room for about 20 bikes) some are even left unlocked untouched. Guess nobody wants to steal a bike parked under cameras in front of a Canada Revenue Agency building with people always watching.
Thanks for the reminder. I meant to register after watching the first video about 529. This time I paused the video and registered my bikes.
Great video!
Those are very good ideas! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I was very surprised that they talked about the Bogota experience. We definitely have to learn from experiences that works Thanks for sharing🙌🏻🙌🏻
I live in Bogotá and... that's not the norm but the exception, sadly :(
Enjoying your channel. Hope you post more frequently.
Great video, so many positive steps on Granville Island and great point about the profit to be made by making cyclists feel comfortable that businesses HAVE to think about. For example at a grocery store if I have to lock up around the side on some old staple rack by myself I'm racing around that store just grabbing 2 or 3 things off end caps and getting out quick. If I can lock up at a nice rack out front with other bikes I'm going to spend some time (and money) in there, get what I need but maybe stock up on a few things for later.
Great video! I am going to share with my mayor.
Here in London (UK), I’ve had bikes stolen in super busy areas, outside supermarkets on a Saturday afternoon, next to a bus stop with dozens of people waiting. There needs to be more done by manufacturers too. My bikes were registered on the Met Police scheme. No use at all.
I think the problem in London is that there is no culture left, and your criminals are apparently ready to kill people over very little.
a good public service video - thanks
The Vancouver bike share, Mobi, also sets up extra stations at some large community events (like Pride) for people to drop off and pickup bikes from, so that it's easy to choose bike share and not worry about finding an empty dock at a bike share station nearby.
It is often set up next to the valet station for people that get there on their own bike.
Mobi is godsend. I use it all the time and dont have to worry about bike theft at all.
True, but bike share isn't that useful for a lot of people. It's great for tourists, and people who live and work in areas where it's available, but for those of us who ride further from downtown, we need other good solutions too.
@@nwimpney yes and people like me who does work for them, we bike to keep cars off your smaller roads and highways so you can commute. Also you would be surprised how far a bike can take you.
@@nwimpney mobi has been slowly but continually expanding over the years, and does work in combination with transit for many trips, but definitely isn't as good as a personal bike (and a good bike route, safe storage, etc) for longer distances.
It does have the limitation that it needs sufficient density and usage so that new stations are within a certain distance of each other, so it runs into the barrier of Vancouver's low density neighbourhoods. I hope they can at least explore expanding it out linearly next to some of the major corridors and along bike routes to reach further out from downtown.
Very interesting initiatives! Where I live (Geneva, Switzerland), bike theft is very common, unfortunately... There are bike racks, but they do not put my mind at ease, tbh. We have something similar to the valet parkings: they're called Vélo stations. They're closed bike parkings under CCTV surveillance, only accesible with a valid ticket (they are not free, but the cost is quite reasonable). The registration system is such a good idea!
Switzerland in the past did not have a problem with thieves in general or bike theft, what has changed?
@@johnlesoudeur3653 "In the past", as in when? =) Because I have been living in Geneva for 12 years now and it has ALWAYS been a problem, even when bikes needed to have a compulsory registration tag called "vignette". Also, whereabouts in Switzerland did you mean?
As a Bogotá resident, there is a lot of bike friendly malls and shopping centers, glad to know other cities are adopting the idea
I love that a local nonprofit handled the Bike Valet, gives me ideas for the one I work at (Reconnect Rochester)! Great video!!
Thank you so much for the support, and I think a non-profit running a bike valet is a great idea. I've also heard of bike valets collaborating with community bike shops to offer tune-ups while the bike is left for the day, for a fee. Maybe that's another way to help offset the costs. Good luck!
Recently I was very frustrated by the project managers of a brand new Lidl supermarket that placed the bike rack at the back of the carpark, out of sight, out of mind. Clearly they never ride bikes themselves as if they did they would have known that the bike parking needs to be by the entrance to give cyclists the confidence to ride their bikes to shop.
Thankfully where I live I can park my bike at the entrance to the shopping centre in full view of the cameras and all the people going in and out. Like the other cyclists that use the rack I wouldn't shop there if I had to use the badly located bike rack in the underground car park.
The most frustrating part of when I worked at bike shops was when someone came in and bought a super nice bike...and then bought the cheapest lock we sold. IMO, even if you're rocking at $100 garage sale special, you still should spend top dollar on a quality lock. That Abus folding lock is great. I like to combine that with the Kryptonite Evolution chain lock. While that combo isn't 100% theft proof, it's almost certainly going to be better than 99% of other people out there.
What I simply do not understand about the bike lock industry is why cable locks are thing at all! You might as well just use zip ties, because a decent pair of wire cutters will go through them without slowing the thief in the slightest.
My bike isn't worth that much anymore, but it is my _only_ bike, so I went overkill in protecting it. The same chain lock you mention, and the old OnGuard U-lock I got when I bought it 17 years ago. Of course, that chain lock is quite heavy, so whenever I get a cargo bike, I'll use it mostly for locking it up at the grocery store, because ten pounds is nothing when you have a total cargo capacity of 440 pounds (including the rider) :-)
@@Jinnitaur Cable locks do pretty well as joy-ride deterrents and are very flexible with what they can lock to (trees are my most common use case). The problem is the advertising isn't clear that is ALL they are good for.
Really, I think cable locks should be banned or at least have a lock certification program where locks are rated based how long they withstand grinding, prying, freezing or cutting.
All bikes weigh the same, because the lighter the bike the heavier the lock you need to protect it. ;)
@@cyrusf.4039 cable locks should come with the requirement that customers watch a video of how easy they are to snip with bolt cutters ✂️
Thanks!
Thank you so much for the support. It really means a lot!
Awesome❤
Build a papier-mache saddle around a very sharp spike but don't forget to swap it back over when you get on it.
Cool project! In Central Europe we have a similar project called Bicycode. But more needs to happen to stop bicycle theft.
Bullets kinda help. 😂
Some great ideas here, one more for consideration would be to use security cameras in bike parking areas. Or setup bike parking areas where security cameras are already in place.
Thanks for the video. Like I commented on your previous video about bike theft, having a decent place to lock up your bike at your local plaza is huge. I am curious what happened to the bike valet and other initiatives after the pilot project finished.
Thanks Brad. I always appreciate your support. The funding for the bike valet at this location was seasonal, so it will be coming back in the summer. It feels like extending it to year-round would be a logical next step.
I'm thankful to live in a small town that doesn't attract much crime. I leave my bike downtown, unlocked for hours at a time time. Sometimes I even leave it overnight for a day or two. Once I walked back to my bike and someone had locked it up for me with the lock I left in the basket. The only problem was I didn't have the key with me 😂.
You must enjoy living in Japan. 😂
Similar situation in my small town... bike theft isn't unheard of, but often at places like the farmers market most the bikes are just parked around everywhere without locks. Somebody abandon a bike in the center of town and it sat there for weeks untouched 😂
I live in a mostly rural area and in my surrounding small towns it's pretty safe to leave a bike unsecured.
But I always do secure it with at least a D lock.
Because if there's only just a 1% chance or less of it being stolen, eventually those odds will come around to bite you in the ass.
@@tconnolly9820 same here... even though there's not a lot of theft here I still lock it up every time for the same reason. Helps my peace of mind 🙃
We always use two locks, and when we travel together we lock our bikes both to the rack and to each other. Similar to the "you don't have to be the fastest, you just have to run faster than the slowest person when being chased by a bear"
One day, when all of the slower people have been eaten, you will be the slowest person left and will be eaten by the bear. You are running away from the problem instead of addressing it. Removing the "bears" from the areas where people want to be able to exist in peace is the only long-term solution.
@@Monaleenian What a weird thing to say to someone you don't know.
Since I am the only crazy one to ise bike in winter to supermarket, there is no "parking bike amongst many others to reduce risk". My old bike was stolen in november (granted I didn't lock it since it was old beaten up bike and had done that for decades).
The valet ide is amazing ! in big events with lots of people, this is stroke of genius !
BTW, has youtube made you rich enough that you could now afford to live in Vancouver? Do you have a little shack on a rocky cliff with a pond (pacific ocean) as your backyard because you couldn't afford a house with a proper lawn and fences all around? :-)
A Bike Valet Service could possibly be introduced here in Salmon Arm BC. We have a farmers Market every Saturday with lots of bikes, and a secure bike parking would encourage even more bike traffic, so a Bike Valet service would be useful even if it was only for a day a week. With that kind of experience in place it could be used with things like the Roots And Blues Festival or The Salmon Arm Fall Fair. Bike theft exists here and I have been targeted. I got my 529 sticker through the RCMP in Vernon. It would be a real improvement if the Salmon Arm RCMP detachment got involved as well. A bike Valet sounds like a brilliant Idea.
I wonder if valet bike parking would work during major events and festivals, like Stampede, or NHL games.
Stampede has a bike valet. It's great! NHL games is a great idea.
I live in Chicago and Wrigley Field has free valet bike parking for every game/event. I've used the service many times and it definitely provides peace of mind!
@@Shifter_Cycling maybe Flames will care enough to spend like 0.01% of their new arena budget on that
Thanks for 529 garage! Out in Sacramento the bike parking options are weak. One of my favorite bike shops on I street and 15th does not have a bike rack out front. REI does not have a bike rack out front. Numerous businesses don’t seem to care. Yet the city is doing its best to discourage car parking by charging for it. We have numerous bike organizations, we have Bicycle Kitchen, Sacramento Bike Hikers, and many more. We have numerous bike shops too. Yet every homeless shopping cart seems to have a bike piled up on it (often derelict.) We even have the American River multi-use parkway from Old Sacramento to Folsom lake. Yet I worry about my bike. Luckily I have both my bikes registered and I tell everyone I know about 529.
I'm bringing this to my local sheriffs and police departments, it should catch somewhere here and prove its worth. Glad to see that Denver and Denver Police have just recently hooked up with 529 and migrated their existing local registry. Hopefully I can convince the Laramie County Sheriff's Office to participate, and then it'll fill in for the whole region, and spoonies won't be able to flip bicycles so easily in the region.
We have a little bit different problem in Prague. Generally, no locked bikes are getting stolen during the day, Prague is a very safe city, but at night, its a completely different story. Bikes are getting stolen from parking racks, garages, common areas in apartment buildings, and even basements are not a safe place to store them.
Here in Philly, thieves will steal parts of bikes; like seats, wheels, and anything else that can be removed from the bike. I have two different types of locks, a U lock and a kryptonite chain, and I try to lock it in as public a place as possible, but let's say a thief was able to steal a part that wasn't secured, like the front wheel or the seat. Would a project like 529 be able to recover stolen parts?
This is a problem elsewhere too, but I also think it can be addressed, at least partly, by bike manufacturers themselves. Do we really need quick release levers on bikes intended for the city? That feels like an easy fix.
@@Shifter_Cycling I feel like there should be some slightly stricter regulations for bicycle manufacturers such as requiring that bikes be made with lights already attached, at least for ebikes that have a battery that can charge the light while the battery is on because lights are another thing that can get stolen or can fall off. Sometimes the battery life on those you buy separately is also really short. Not allowing quick release is another good regulation to add.
@@karikling6751 Integrated lighting is common on ebikes. Even if some does unbolt one, they only work on a 48v power system. You can get better integrated lights for regular bikes that are powered using a dynohub. These tend to be used more by long distance riders and bike packers instead of commuters. I have some independent bike fabricators that have built lighting directly into the frame, but you'll paying for custom frame building to get one. I have seen a few aftermarket lights that attach using a lock system, with the intent on being theft resistant for city riding.
@@Shifter_Cycling I agree that it might slightly reduce the most casual opportunistic thefts ("Wow, that wheel looks shiny and expensive"), but I've had friends with modest road bikes who have had their handlebars, levers, and saddle stolen. They cut the brake and shifter cables to remove it. If they're going to carry cable cutters, adding a 5 and 6mm allen key to take out the axles is not going to stop them.
We need more bike valets!
I love living in Japan for this.
While bike theft is not 0, it's either drunk people stealing non locked bikes OR people who target expensive bikes parked in apartments complexes.
But other than that out any kind of lock on your bike and it wont be stolen for any kind of everyday's activity.
This country is awesome.
My bikes keep getting stolen from HOME. 520 sq ft apartment, brought my two remaining bikes INSIDE, now I have to move bikes around to do anything, and no room for a bed any more. The thief caught on video cut the motorcycle chain in about 6-seconds and pushed the $450 trike away. The first one I didn't catch stealing my $2,300 wheelchair transport trike.
Love it. What are the locks you recommend ?
Toronto does one thing well: lockups everywhere and the Toronto bike ring. Right in front of every store, establishment, or building. The low-key attitude this makes definitely reduces theft, as a bike isn't at a predictable and "prominently presented" spot for thieves to target.
where I live whenever they have an even in the park they have several guys run a bike parking program where they lock up your bike under a shelter, give you a ticket for your bike and you can go and enjoy your time in the park/event w/o worrying about your bike being stolen. Was a neat system but unfortunately only when events happened.
well used 300 dollar bicycle from walmart, registered, stolen within 1hr outside a skyline station in downtown vancouver, midday, busy with cameras pointing all around. stolen bike, contacted everyone multiple times, looked online for resale or finders, registry, nothing. absolutely nothing came up or helped. vancouver truly aweful. had one stolen within a week of purchase first time i moved there for uni, that was a $100 bought on CL bike.
Excellent watch, I get so frustrated when I want to use my ebike for more than pleasure. It's bad enough the rack are an afterthought at most retail concrete uglies but get this, I was at the barber shop in Ashton square, community of Country Hills, just north of Centre st (where the bus trap is) and they DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A BLOODY RACK! Not a one. Can't bring it in, no room. Where's my incentive to leave it locked up "loose". None, I drove. On a beautiful day...
1. Make sure your company has card-opened bike storage.
2. Find an enclosed bike locker. I have them at few places.
3. Go to open restaurant, find a seat right next to a bike post. If picking up, have a friend look after your bike. If it is indoor only and they don't want you to bring your bike in, don't do business with them.
4. If all fails, folding bike time.
I think another step is get kids used to riding by giving them the facilities to. So my secondary school had 2 bits of bike parking. student/staff which was locked from around 5 or 10 minutes after first bell to 5 or 10 minutes before last bell, then you had visitors parking which was open for the whole day like a normal bike rack. That one was also used by students coming or going during school hours (appointments and 6th form transfeing sites)
now as hinted the 6th form was split over 2 schools, the other school had 2 bike parking spots as in their was these small bits of probably 1/4" metal rods (secured to the group at wash end) that you shoved your front wheel into and was a nightmare to secure to due to not having much clearence to the ground, only 1 person was brave enough to cycle in
I bought the LITELOK X1 to replace my gold rated abus lock because battery powered angle grinders are becoming more common. The only time I lock my bike outside is for a quick shop run or in a more secure underground bike lock up where plan to leave a LITELOK X3. That will cost £350 in total but I'd rather spend that than lose about £4000 with my Orbea gain Ebike. I'd also highly recommend something like the abus nutfix seatpost clamp if you have an expensive saddle/seatpost.
In the uk we have lots of empty shops due to the internet, so not sure why the local councils or private company use those shops to have as bike storage, take bike in leave there for however long and pay to store 🤷♂️🤷♂️
It;s a good idea. I was pleasantly surprised to see a charitable bike shop and workshop in a tired old shopping centre making use of a store vacated by a demised C&A. So putting in a valet bike park is certainly a good use of a vacant store front.
Something that could exponentially solve bike theft in my opinion is having businesses with bike parking inside of them.
I know, not very plausible because it's gonna take space that they could be using for something else, but its still worth it in my opinion because for a theft there's gonna be a big difference between stealing a bike in a street and having to enter through the front door of a surveilled business in order to steal a bike.
That makes a lot of sense. I love the idea that I could go buy groceries, and load it right onto the bike while still in the store. We already build covered parking garages for cars (which are already designed to be sealed from the elements). Why should it be unusual to have indoor bike parking?
You should offer bicycle parking inside your own business if you can justify allocating that much floor space while considering the cost of your rent. If you start you might encourage the businesses around you to do the same.
As a biker I agree ... if I'm not worried about my bike, I'm gonna stay in the area for a longer time and likely spend more money ! ! ! The valet idea is excellent ! ! !
I just registered mine. Id love to see the USA take more of a stance on this
The ngo I work for, Bike Auckland, has helped get 529 Garage set up in New Zealand. Good progress is being made! It's not clear if it has had a meaningful impact yet, but it has enabled the recovery of at least two bikes that I am personally aware of hahaha. With more and more shields being implemented, I'm confident it will start to work as an opportunity-theft deterrent at least!
New Zealand did used to have a similar system called SNAP, but for some reason it didn't work. Not sure why.
We also do bike valet! Hahha, nifty.
It is currently out of scope for us, but I do think we should be trying to get more permanent Bike Valets set up. It really is a solid theft deterrent. We also have never had a bike stolen at the valet! Cool to see that it's effective elsewhere too.
once he stopped beeing a cop, he started actually solving crime. interesting. cool project and good video. thank you.
I love going to Vancouver events that have a bike valet or monitored bike parking. I'm registered with 529 as well. However I wonder if the 52% reduction is many people don't bother to report any more? Chop shops are all over the city and the police can't seem to break them up.
I would like to hear from Shifter about this take: That it requires an ex-cop with ties to the local police department and former-employment contacts to members of his city staff in order to spearhead an entire organization, (on the free-time of a retired person) just to put a video-worthy dent in this problem. How is anything going to change?
I manage a building in an industrial precinct. One of the tenants is a 24/7 fitness gym. I installed a galvanised steel bike rack for 8 bikes and bolted it to concrete slab. Recently someone stole the rack!
4:15 I like that he is inclusive of female bike thieves.
Bogota rocks!!
The bike valet thing would be AMAZING in my city.
I wish I’d done this some weeks ago…
Btw, which registry is considered the most widely used in North America?
Great vid
I always take pictures when I get a bike. I take a picture of the bottom of the frame withe the serial # visible. I also write the serial # down. I've heard of people with really expensive bikes actually putting GPS trackers on their bikes. I have two locks. One cheap light cable lock for when I am stopping for less than an hour, and a big, heavy U-lock that I use when I have to park it all day. I have a grinder because I once lost the key to my U-lock (Doh!), so I know they can be defeated, but it takes some time and makes a lot of noise. I would never park my expensive bike near a construction area for this reason.
2 good locks have worked for me in San Diego, where entire racks of bikes are stolen, lots of crooks use vans and trucks; convenience and speed are big factors. I use a short kryptonite chain and bordo folding lock, obviously not weightless lol but not physically obtrusive, and I’m not riding time trials on my way to Sprouts to begin with, so the weight is absolutely worth it to me. 2 good locks in high traffic areas is great advice, I wouldn’t expect my bike to last 20 minutes in a shady location in San Diego with 20 locks. I walk my gigantic 26x4 ebike through Walgreens, it’s a full on meth freak show out there lol, no chance I’d park it there for any reason. If they ever tell me I can’t, I’ll change pharmacies, but the workers know how bad it is themselves, I’ve never even had a question or comment.
In Montreal, we just don’t buy new bikes. I’ve rarely seen a new bike used for commuting ( I have one old bike for commute and a nice bike for recreational ). Or we use our bike Sharing system which is pretty much everywhere now
I use this philosophy a bit too, but I find it fundamentally sad that we can't just ride the bike that inspires us the most because we're afraid of it getting stolen.
@@Shifter_Cycling Yes. And it's weird that a lot of people seem to take the position that it's your fault for buying a nice bike, if it does get stolen.
"You're supposed to carry 3 heavy duty u-locks, one for each wheel, and one for the frame, and only buy cheap bikes, so that when they steal your saddle and handlebars, it doesn't cost too much to replace."
I hate that I can't ride a nice bike downtown to a concert, and expect it to still be intact when I get out of the show.
I have both of my bikes registered with project 529 here in Vancouver
Yup, I've had my bike registered with 529 for many years