Bad bike locking!

I was wondering if anyone here in Chicago has done a research or study on bad bike locking and recorded it on video.

 

There is this guy in SF that did it, walked around to all kinds of bikes and how they were locked and graded their locking skills.

 

I think if there is or one is done... a video of this made available to cyclers across chicagoland, would help decrease bike thievery just by our own doing.

 

Anyone have any knowledge of this?

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Permalink Reply by David P. on May 25, 2011 at 12:28pm
Not that I know of. But we can always point out bad locking when we see people practicing it, and show them secure locking methods. One night last fall when I was walking in the loop I saw a guy locking up his bike through the front wheel and a fork blade. There is no way I could not stop and show him how this secured nothing but his front wheel, and show him a secure way to lock up. This kind of thing seems to happen regularly.
Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on May 25, 2011 at 12:39pm

Jami made these awesome stickers that you could put on bad locked bikes rating them and give them advice and resources. A video is a good one to then distribute to get to people looking for tips.

 

Anyone? Could be a nice small film for one of our bike film festivals. 

 

Aaron Bussey maybe?

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on May 25, 2011 at 12:57pm

Chicago Department of Transportation's Bike Safety & Education division did this video on proper locking techniques.

 

I'm not familiar with the San Francisco video(s) you referenced, but Hal Ruzal from NY has been doing these videos for years.

 

Since I posted this forum topic on the evening of May 4th, forty-five stolen bikes have been reported to the Chicago Stolen Bike Registry. They were:

 

1. unlocked bike in garage;

2. unlocked bike in building vestibule;

3. cable with padlock;

4. combination cable lock;

5. unlocked bike/building bike room;

6. unlocked bike/building bike room;

7. combination cable lock;

8. newer U-lock w/flat key (yes! yes!) sign it was locked to was compromised (boo!)

9. unlocked bike in garage;

10. unlocked bike in garage;

11. combination cable lock;

12. locked to a wooden railing which was cut;

13. unlocked bike in front of building;

14. newer u-lock with flat key;

15. cable w/padlock;

16. combination cable lock;

17. cable w/integrated key lock;

18. U-locked to a fence which was defeated;

19. cable w/integrated key lock;

20. newer u-lock w/flat key, frame only locked;

21. u-locked to a street sign that was removed;

22. locked to itself in a garage which was left open;

23. cable w/integrated key lock;

24. cable w/integrated key lock;

25. unlocked in gargae;

26. locked only to itself and left in front of store;

27. cable w/integrated key lock;

28. unlocked in a garage;

29. unlocked in common area basement;

30. unlocked in common area basement;

31. unlocked on porch;

32. cable w/padlock;

33. unlocked in garage;

34. unlocked in common area;

35. u-lock with cable, but theft only required cutting the cable;

36. newer u-lock w/flat key;

37. combination cable lock;

38. combination cable lock;

39. cable w/padlock;

40. combination cable lock;

41. unlocked in common area;

42. cable w/integrated key lock;

43. cable w/integrated key lock;

44. cable w/integrated key lock; and

45. older u-lock w/round key, pried apart and left at scene.

 

So out of 45 bikes reported stolen in the past 20 days, 44% were locked with some form of cable; 38% were not locked in a common area or garage that someone else left open or unlocked (it's always someone else's fault); 9% were locked to an item which was defeated; and 9% were locked with a newer u-lock with a flat key.

 

So I like your thinking, Eric. Got any ideas on how to address the problem?

 

 

Permalink Reply by Eric on May 25, 2011 at 1:36pm

I like the stickers idea that Julie mentioned that Jami did...I wonder if Jami still does that or has the stickers..maybe that could be revisited.

 

I think if we could get a major bike shop on board we could do a thing where we go out and if we notice someone properly locking their bike we can give them a 10 dollar gift certificate or if someone is up to being showed how to do it we could give it to them as well.

Of course we videotape it and post it online amongst the various chicago biking sites and youtube. We could also check out bikes at bike events to see if they were properly locked and if so the event host (if a bar) could give a free drink or something.

Just some ideas.

Permalink Reply by Vilda on May 25, 2011 at 1:54pm
The sticker will say: You're an idiot this is a public area! Lock your bike jackass! (38% of the time) :-)
Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on May 25, 2011 at 2:23pm

Jami is traveling the western United States right now-before circumnavigating it beginning later this summer. Here are the stickers. I "issued" 50 or so of them. No feedback was received, and my unofficial survey resulted in no modification to bike locking technique among recipients.

 

While I agree with the general principle of achieving behavioral modification through the rewarding of behavior we're trying to encourage vs. punishing behavior we're trying to discourage, I fail to see what possible incentive there is for a commercial enterprise (bar or bike shop) to give cash or its equivalent to people who take responsibility for their property. I always thought coming back to the place where I locked my bike and finding it there was incentive enough.

 

A search of YouTube for "Bike Theft" yields >10,000 videos; "prevent bike theft" - 62; "bike theft prevention" - 54. How will your video be qualitatively different?

Eric said:

I like the stickers idea that Julie mentioned that Jami did...I wonder if Jami still does that or has the stickers..maybe that could be revisited.

 

I think if we could get a major bike shop on board we could do a thing where we go out and if we notice someone properly locking their bike we can give them a 10 dollar gift certificate or if someone is up to being showed how to do it we could give it to them as well.

Of course we videotape it and post it online amongst the various chicago biking sites and youtube. We could also check out bikes at bike events to see if they were properly locked and if so the event host (if a bar) could give a free drink or something.

Just some ideas.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on May 25, 2011 at 3:34pm

I saw a guy in London who did a video like this a while back -he was some sort of reformed x-thief who was working as a salesman for bike locks or some such.  I didn't see the SanFran one.

 

The sticker idea is a good idea -or maybe a business card with a rubber band around the handgrip unless the sticker is REALLY easy to pull back off like maybe a post-it note.  Sticking a sticker on other people's property (no matter how good-intentioned) is pretty uncool.  I think a neatly-worded business card rubber-banded to the handlebars is the way to go.

 

The whole idea here, I think, is to help someone out by pointing out the error of their ways, not insult them , mess up their ride, or ridicule them.  i could be worded very carefully to be positive rather than a downer.  I suppose getting a bike stolen is worse than getting yelled at by some random stranger who is picking your bike-locking skillz to pieces -but not by much.

 

Of course that whole positive-wording thing isn't really one of my better skills so I really can't talk.  Just an idea...

Permalink Reply by Joe TV on May 25, 2011 at 6:14pm

Would one photo help? 

 



Permalink Reply by Sol on May 25, 2011 at 7:38pm
I think that bike in the photo is relatively secure....who would steal a Murray brand bicycle, much less a heavy mountain bike in that color?

I would be curious to know the number of times Murray and Huffy bikes are stolen compared to non department store brand bikes and also the ratio of stolen mountain or hybrid bikes to stolen road bikes.

It is a shame that it comes to this, but ride what no one wants and your risk is much lower. I still use an old style (round key) u lock on my old three speed and no one has so much as thought about taking it. Only true cycling afficianados would appreciate that bike and they are not the ones who would steal it. It is twenty years old with squeeky brakes and a dented fender. On my hybrid bike parked in Lincoln park in broad daylight, they stole my $5 plastic fenders which were bolted on and left the quick release bike light with rechargable batteries which cost more than the fenders. Go figure!
Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on May 26, 2011 at 12:37am

If it rides people will steal it in this city.  At the very least there are a few scrappers who would cut a lock to get it just to sell it for a buck's worth of scrap value.  Even Murrays of late vintage will have alloy wheels and other parts  that crackheads and other street people know are worth even more than steel as scrap.   Just about anything not bolted down will disappear in this city when the sun goes down and the zombies come out to play. 

 

That chain on the Murray could be easily broken by twisting the frame around the pole.  It's not even made of welded links but is just 10-gauge wire twisted around itself.  Two screwdrivers inserted into the links and twisted would unravel it in about 20 seconds. 

 

Permalink Reply by in it to win it 8.0 mi on May 26, 2011 at 2:21am

Remember, we need a few "bait bikes" out there for the thieves so they don't try to take ours that are locked up nicely.

If mine is locked up better than yours, I will likely have a ride home...

Seriously, considering the thousands of bikes in Chicagoland I think you've proposed a pretty daunting task.

I like David's comment where he shows the owner at time of infraction a better way.  That's how to preach it.

Permalink Reply by JeffB on May 26, 2011 at 3:58am

Who was it that was putting "report cards" on all the bikes locked up at Pitchfork last year or the year before?  The card had checkboxes for various mistakes and they gave you a letter grade.

 

At first I thought this thread was about the incorrect use of bike racks, like the wave-type racks that are meant to hold 6 or more bikes when parked perpendicularly, but then some moron parks his parallel to the rack, thus taking up 4 spaces.

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