Does nobody care about bike thefts?
Re Bike theft proves hard to avoid, April 26 Many thanks to Michael Robinson and William Davis for highlighting the problem of bike theft. Regrettably, their articles make the entirely correct point that “the police just don’t care.”
“Bait bikes” have successfully reduced bike theft in San Francisco and other U.S. cities because thieves never know if the lock they’re sawing is bait, for police surveillance.
Last month I attempted to alert the police and city council to the potential value of a bait bike program in Toronto. I sent a letter describing the success in San Francisco and included a link to a New York Times article describing the project to Mayor John Tory, all of the members of the city’s Transportation Committee, police Chief Mark Saunders and police superintendent Gord Jones. The response was underwhelming. I received a few acknowledgments of receipt, but not one comment or offer to take the idea under advisement.
It is hard to reconcile the city’s desire to see more people commute by bicycle with its complete lack of interest in bike theft — a major reason many people leave their bikes in the garage and drive to work. Torontonians would be more willing to commute by bike if the police spent their time arresting actual bike thieves instead of “carding” innocent passersby. Robert D. Katz, Toronto Another moan about bike thefts in Toronto.
Back in the 1950s we had to buy a licence for our bikes — they cost only $1 and we could get them at any police station. But they meant that the police had the serial number of every bike on record, and they might stop any bike without licence.
My first licence was a steel plate — like a car licence, but smaller — but in later years the city cheaped out and went to small plastic tags. Now the steel plate would be very good because — like a car licence — it could be read by computer and stolen bikes (or plates) spotted.
Why no licences now? Doesn’t anyone care about stolen bikes? Andy Turnbull, Toronto