The Chainlink

messing with my bike on the bus

Anyone else have someone mess with their bike on the bus rack?

I hopped on the bus with my bike tonight because I left my lights at home. Big mistake. Its beautiful.

I always try to sit towards the front of the bus to watch my bike. I ended up sitting toward the middle this time since dome hanicap people needed the front seats.

A few stops in someone says someone is messing with a bike.

I jump up and some drunk guy has moved my bike to the back rack pulled the lock up half way on my back wheel ( I have a rack on my rd hike). I take my bike off ( he had broken the licking mechanism too) not wanting to deal with his drunk drama and figure ill find another. bus.

the bus driver says stay we will get hin off and starts calling the police. After some time threatening words to us ( and another nice lady who was yelling at him) the guy takes off.

not sure yet if my bike is damaged.... bus driver will have me fil out a report.

Views: 1579

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by S. Cathi on June 1, 2013 at 4:59pm

How does someone walk up and steel a bike off the rack with the bus driver there?  I mean did the bus driver just sit there and watch someone else take the bike?
 
Blatherskate said:

I remember reading in the CSBR last year about someone getting their bike stolen off a CTA bus rack.
Those bastards are tenacious, arn't they?

Be careful out there...
Permalink Reply by yai danche on June 1, 2013 at 5:32pm

CTA suggests locking the front wheel to the frame before the bus approaches (http://www.transitchicago.com/riding_cta/how_to_guides/bikebus.aspx).  It does sound like that guy was trying to take off with it.  Maybe a locked bike would've deterred him.  That dude is lucky the bus driver didn't hit him because it sounded like it took the driver a while to notice a pedestrian in front of the bus trying to mess with a bike.  

Jerry Lee said:

Can we lock the bike up with a u lock to the wheels, so they can't ride off with it? I think CTA don't want you to lock the bike, maybe just can't lock to the rack.

Permalink Reply by Blatherskate on June 1, 2013 at 6:46pm

Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. I really doubt that bus drivers keep track of every bike that's loaded on their bus, and to think otherwise is naive. Keep in mind, that to the general public, bikes are nothing more than a toy.

If it makes a difference, it was the Ashland bus.  Look it up. 


S. Cathi said:

How does someone walk up and steel a bike off the rack with the bus driver there?  I mean did the bus driver just sit there and watch someone else take the bike?
 
Blatherskate said:

I remember reading in the CSBR last year about someone getting their bike stolen off a CTA bus rack.
Those bastards are tenacious, arn't they?

Be careful out there...
Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on June 1, 2013 at 7:47pm

I ride the bus frequently and I would say, based on my personal observation, that the majority of people who put their bikes on the bus make no effort whatsoever  to stay towards the front of the bus in order to keep an eye on their bikes.  Although some drivers do keep track of which passengers are connected to bikes on the rack, mostly because few rack users let the driver know when they're going to be taking their bike, I don't think it's reasonable to expect a driver to stay aware if which bike belongs to who.

And if someone does walk up and grab one-- what does one think the driver should do?

I never knew it was allowed to put a locked bike on a rack-- wondering if that's recent.

Blatherskate said:

Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. I really doubt that bus drivers keep track of every bike that's loaded on their bus, and to think otherwise is naive. Keep in mind, that to the general public, bikes are nothing more than a toy.

If it makes a difference, it was the Ashland bus.  Look it up. 


S. Cathi said:

How does someone walk up and steel a bike off the rack with the bus driver there?  I mean did the bus driver just sit there and watch someone else take the bike?
 
Blatherskate said:

I remember reading in the CSBR last year about someone getting their bike stolen off a CTA bus rack.
Those bastards are tenacious, arn't they?

Be careful out there...
Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on June 1, 2013 at 9:04pm

I think THIS is what you're remembering, the bike taken from the #9 Ashland bus between Grand & Armitage.  This seems rare in Chicago, but it did happen.  And when you think about it, an unlocked bike sitting on the front of a bus that's stopped at a stoplight or is loading passengers, is pretty easy pickings for a thief. Some folks put their bikes in highest gear to make it difficult to pedal away quickly, but other folks' suggestion here of immobilizing one or both wheels with a lock sounds better.

San Francisco: http://www.munidiaries.com/2011/05/03/bikes-stolen-off-muni/

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/384727-Bike-being-stolen-o...


 
Blatherskate said:

I remember reading in the CSBR last year about someone getting their bike stolen off a CTA bus rack.
Those bastards are tenacious, arn't they?

Be careful out there...
Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on November 7, 2014 at 12:22pm
Rare, but a bike theft from a CTA bus rack occurred again on October 30, 2014. http://admin.chicago.stolenbike.org/node/196060
Sorry, links aren't working for me.
Permalink Reply by Julia 3.5/7.5 mi on November 7, 2014 at 7:54pm
Wow. I've always felt nervous wih my bike on the front of a bus, but usually because of potholes and those shoddy red holders. I considered it was more likely to be run over than swiped.

RSS

Groups

© 2008-2016   The Chainlink Community, L.L.C.   Powered by

Disclaimer  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service