BikeThiefNYC

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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on March 18, 2012 at 4:23pm

That's a pretty simplistic answer-- I don't  think I'd take it as more than one random individual's guess.  Theyr'e probably close to the mark on the second point, of there just being generally  less criminality. There are still lots of places in the U.S. where you could lean a bike up against the corner store wall and expect it to be there when you come out, even in places where there are poor people.

Zoetrope said:

Saw this linked through Twitter today.

http://andrewsullivan.thedailybeast.com/2012/03/why-wont-people-sto...

I was in Copenhagen last year, where I saw a number of bikes leaning on buildings, unlocked. Then I saw more, just tossed over on the grass. I asked a Dane what the deal was. Nobody really wanted the bikes, it turns out, because everyone that wanted one already had one. Or had access to one, through the city's bike-share system. No bike thief could make any serious money selling bikes. Besides, income equality was much greater in Denmark, and the have-nots were not nearly as destitute or desperate as those in a city like New York. The incentive for organized bike-stealing was simply not there.

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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on March 18, 2012 at 4:37pm

Re: the video:

I have found myself in places with lots of street activity/vibrancy, and lots of bikes locked everywhere (it's the exception rather than the norm for me as there are relatively few bikes to be seen in my part of town), such as Belmont/Sheffield while buying tickets at The Vic, when I've realized that, despite how much of my waking life I spend wishing I could catch a bike thief in action, I am completely tuning out everything that's not relevant to my mission, including and especially anything happening at bike racks, sign poles, etc.

In this video, there are lots of people doing the same-- in fact there is not one instance I could see of someone actually attending to what he was doing (until the final bit).  I would at the very least have differentiated between passersby and actual witnesses in my tally.

So I don't think it's really so much a question of whether one would intervene, but of how we can train ourselves and others to start "seeing" bike theft.

I wonder how hard it would be to get Casey to guest at next year's Swap?

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Permalink Reply by Zoetrope on March 18, 2012 at 7:10pm

h', I think you're mistaking that blurb as an 'answer' to the bike theft problem.  It's merely another viewpoint on why bike theft is such a problem in the first place.  Hardly simplistic when you consider the alternative, which is what... blame bystanders for not risking their lives to save your bike?  I lock my bike up properly and don't leave it expecting bystanders to guard over it while I'm away.  Is it even reasonable to expect that from another human being?  Seems like a loaded question to me.  Might be nice if we got somewhere close to that someday, but I think expecting trained law enforcement to make this a bigger priority would be more reasonable at the moment.  Of course, I could be wrong.  

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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on March 18, 2012 at 8:37pm

Sorry if you took my reaction personally.

I think it's an interesting musing and worth passing along, but the theorum of "everyone who wants a bike already has one" . . .

Just not sure what to do with that.  Do you think if everyone in Chicago had a working bicycle, we'd have less bike theft? I suppose it's possible, but it doesn't seem likely.

Zoetrope said:

h', I think you're mistaking that blurb as an 'answer' to the bike theft problem.  It's merely another viewpoint on why bike theft is such a problem in the first place.  Hardly simplistic when you consider the alternative, which is what... blame bystanders for not risking their lives to save your bike?  I lock my bike up properly and don't leave it expecting bystanders to guard over it while I'm away.  Is it even reasonable to expect that from another human being?  Seems like a loaded question to me.  Might be nice if we got somewhere close to that someday, but I think expecting trained law enforcement to make this a bigger priority would be more reasonable at the moment.  Of course, I could be wrong.  

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Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on March 18, 2012 at 10:06pm

N+1

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Permalink Reply by Zoetrope on March 18, 2012 at 10:16pm

There was no offense taken.  Maybe you're projecting?  That's just theorum though, I guess.  

"The ball is round, the game lasts 90 minutes, everything else is pure theory."

h' said:

Sorry if you took my reaction personally.

I think it's an interesting musing and worth passing along, but the theorum of "everyone who wants a bike already has one" . . .

Just not sure what to do with that.  Do you think if everyone in Chicago had a working bicycle, we'd have less bike theft? I suppose it's possible, but it doesn't seem likely.

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