Why in Central America Can Bikes Be Left Unlocked?

I was recently in Costa Rica.  We were warned when travelling throughout the country, especially at night, to be careful since there are a lot of muggings and murders.  

At night in town I saw prostitutes, drug dealers, etc.   To my surprise I also saw tons of unlocked bikes around town.

Made me think, why is bike thief so rampant here in Chicago? The answers came quickly to me.

1) There is a market in Chicago for stolen bikes that isn't in Costa Rica.  Stolen bikes can be sold for a decent amount of money here.

2) There are virtually no repercussions for stealing a bike.  Why doesn't the city and/or state create laws to scare people away of stealing bikes?  


I wonder if we would have the same problem if stealing a bike came with a $3000 fine & 6 months jail time for the first offense?  

I had my bike stolen last year, and the guys reselling the bike at the Swap O Rama didn't even get a slap when the cops "asked" for my bike back. I asked why they didn't arrest them, and their answer was "we didn't catch them stealing the bike so we can't do anything about it."

So here is my question -  Why doesn't Chicago beef up its laws on stealing a bike?  For sure we could use the money. 

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Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on March 14, 2012 at 5:32am

Julie, these are excellent questions. I bought a new lock last night for $70. Most of my bikes are barely worth that much.

I've suggested it before, but I'll repeat myself: I would like to see bike theft lumped into a category of Crimes Against the Planet with hugely increased penalties. Also in this category would be stealing solar panels, fly dumping and the like. 

Permalink Reply by Jared on March 14, 2012 at 5:43am

Should the punishment for stealing a $500 bike be stiffer than that of stealing a $500 TV?

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on March 14, 2012 at 5:46am

yeah.  I am no politician or government official,  so I don't know how hard it is to change or update offenses and fines, but it seems to me to be pretty simple.    

Would it be wrong for a city trying to encourage cycling and putting a lot of resources and money into this initiative to "up" the offenses of stealing a bike?  

Permalink Reply by ID on March 14, 2012 at 5:47am

Or to add further, not only a fine/jail time for stealing it, but fines for selling or being in possession of a stolen bike without proof of ownership. This would serve not only as a deterrent for people stealing them, but also for the re-sale market.

My question is, when criminals are fined or ordered to pay restitution for stolen goods, what happens if they are unable to pay? Is the bill left to the state or a private entity to cover and then try to recoup the fine? Or does it just disappear?

Permalink Reply by Melanie K on March 14, 2012 at 5:47am

The strange thing is, if someone is in possession of a stolen $500 T.V., usually the cops will arrest the person or at least question them where they obtained the stolen property. With bikes, it seems that unless they are caught in the act of stealing it at the time, the cops do not actively pursue the person who stole the bike.

Permalink Reply by Katie on March 14, 2012 at 5:59am

This would be great, however, I don't even have proof of ownership of my bikes.  My cousin gave me a time trial bike and I bought my roadie off of craigslist....sadly....I don't know if there is a way to regulate the resale market.

It is infuriating.  I have had bikes stolen, rear wheels stolen, front wheels stolen, Seats stolen....How can you think it is right to just take someone else's property? 

Ian Dinsmor said:

Or to add further, not only a fine/jail time for stealing it, but fines for selling or being in possession of a stolen bike without proof of ownership. This would serve not only as a deterrent for people stealing them, but also for the re-sale market.

My question is, when criminals are fined or ordered to pay restitution for stolen goods, what happens if they are unable to pay? Is the bill left to the state or a private entity to cover and then try to recoup the fine? Or does it just disappear?

Permalink Reply by Jared on March 14, 2012 at 6:03am

Could bikes be titled property like cars?  Probably not practical and it would only serve to make bicycling more expensive.

Katie said:

This would be great, however, I don't even have proof of ownership of my bikes.  My cousin gave me a time trial bike and I bought my roadie off of craigslist....sadly....I don't know if there is a way to regulate the resale market.

It is infuriating.  I have had bikes stolen, rear wheels stolen, front wheels stolen, Seats stolen....How can you think it is right to just take someone else's property? 

Ian Dinsmor said:

Or to add further, not only a fine/jail time for stealing it, but fines for selling or being in possession of a stolen bike without proof of ownership. This would serve not only as a deterrent for people stealing them, but also for the re-sale market.

My question is, when criminals are fined or ordered to pay restitution for stolen goods, what happens if they are unable to pay? Is the bill left to the state or a private entity to cover and then try to recoup the fine? Or does it just disappear?

Permalink Reply by ID on March 14, 2012 at 6:06am

True, but in the grand scheme of things, is paying, say 20 bucks, more economical than having to pay however many hundreds of dollars for a replacement or new bike?

Its like the folks you see at the bike shop buying a 1300 dollar bike and fretting about spending another 100 on various locks. 10% of your overall cost to protect your investment. I wouldn't skimp on either.

Jared said:

Could bikes be titled property like cars?  Probably not practical and it would only serve to make bicycling more expensive.

Katie said:

This would be great, however, I don't even have proof of ownership of my bikes.  My cousin gave me a time trial bike and I bought my roadie off of craigslist....sadly....I don't know if there is a way to regulate the resale market.

It is infuriating.  I have had bikes stolen, rear wheels stolen, front wheels stolen, Seats stolen....How can you think it is right to just take someone else's property? 

Ian Dinsmor said:

Or to add further, not only a fine/jail time for stealing it, but fines for selling or being in possession of a stolen bike without proof of ownership. This would serve not only as a deterrent for people stealing them, but also for the re-sale market.

My question is, when criminals are fined or ordered to pay restitution for stolen goods, what happens if they are unable to pay? Is the bill left to the state or a private entity to cover and then try to recoup the fine? Or does it just disappear?

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on March 14, 2012 at 6:20am

Seeing unlocked bikes does not necessarily translate into "bike theft is non-existent."

Here's an excerpt from the State Department website re: Costa Rica. Sounds idyllic.

CRIME: Ten U.S. citizens have been murdered in Costa Rica since January, 2010. Crime is a significant concern for Costa Ricans and visitors alike. Local law enforcement agencies have limited capabilities and different standards than U.S. law enforcement. Daytime robberies in public places occur, and thieves have been known to brandish weapons or use violence if victims resist. Almost two million foreign tourists, about half U.S. citizens, visit Costa Rica annually. All are potential targets for criminals, primarily thieves looking for cash, jewelry, credit cards, electronic items and passports.

Thieves often work in small groups. The most prevalent scam involves the surreptitious puncturing of tires of rental cars, often near restaurants, tourist attractions, airports, or close to the car rental agencies themselves. When the travelers pull over, "good Samaritans" quickly appear to help change the tire - and just as quickly remove valuables from the car, sometimes brandishing weapons. Drivers with flat tires are advised to drive, if at all possible, to the nearest service station or other public area and change the tire themselves, watching valuables at all times. Another common scam involves one person dropping change in a crowded area, such as on a bus. When the victim tries to assist, a wallet or other item is taken.

With respect to penalties for crimes against property, value of the property taken is the only logical and objective measure to employ. "But I just dialed that bike in and it took me 3 years to break in that Brooks B17 perfectly." Sorry, it doesn't increase the value of the property, any more than the value of the watch you have stolen is higher because it was given to you by your deceased grandfather.

I think the perception of bike theft in Chicago exceeds the reality. Comparatively few properly locked bikes are reported to the Chicago Stolen Bike Registry (<15%). Two-thirds of the people who report bikes to the CSBR don't know their serial numbers, and this happens to be the single most important identifying feature when it comes to recovering a stolen bike. I truly believe that police are less aggressive about pursuing bike thieves because many of them simply have no idea how expensive bikes can be. 

You know bikes get stolen in Copenhagen too.

Permalink Reply by David on March 14, 2012 at 6:29am

We were warned when travelling throughout the country


I'm curious, are you talking about San Jose or Jaco or other tourist spots, or are you talking about traveling throughout the country?  Because if you travel thoughout the US, you don't really have to lock up your bike in 90% of the country either.    But big cities like Chicago are different.    

Also, even San Jose is a pretty small place, roughly the size of, say, Wichita Kansas. A place where bike theft is a much, much smaller problem than here.

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on March 14, 2012 at 7:32am

We walked in some places in escazu, near san jose.  When we got back we were told we should have taken cabs.   There were guards at every single parking lot and barbed wire in front of every house and lot.

Quipos also didn't seem like a place to walk around alone at night.  

It seemed to be a country, like  cities in Switzerland and other european cities, where bikes aren't locked up like they are here or NYC.  

It was culture shock for me, and made me wonder, what, if anything could the city or state do to help deter bike theft. 

I talk to people every day about biking, many to people who don't bike.  

I hear all the time that they used to bike until their bike got stolen.  They either never buy another bike, or, if they actually got around to buying another bike, won't leave it locked up anywhere.

It seems like a barrier to biking in our city. 


David said:

We were warned when travelling throughout the country


I'm curious, are you talking about San Jose or Jaco or other tourist spots, or are you talking about traveling throughout the country?  Because if you travel thoughout the US, you don't really have to lock up your bike in 90% of the country either.    But big cities like Chicago are different.    

Also, even San Jose is a pretty small place, roughly the size of, say, Wichita Kansas. A place where bike theft is a much, much smaller problem than here.

Permalink Reply by David on March 14, 2012 at 9:06am

Thanks, that makes sense. 

I'd add, though, that bike theft isn't exactly an outlier here.  The US has much higher crime rates than most places in the developed world for virtually any crime you can think of.   Given that we also have one of the highest incarceration rates in the world (in fact, one of the highest in human history), I'm a little skeptical that yet another "let's get tough on crime" policy is really the answer. 



Julie Hochstadter said:

It seemed to be a country, like  cities in Switzerland and other european cities, where bikes aren't locked up like they are here or NYC.  

It was culture shock for me, and made me wonder, what, if anything could the city or state do to help deter bike theft. 

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