Divvy Vandalism

Spotted this morning in Uptown. It was clearly a targeted attack, as nothing else in the area was tagged and it was done to make the bikes uncomfortable to ride (note the paint all over each saddle). Has anyone else seen significant vandalism on Divvy's? This is the worst I've seen since its inception.

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Permalink Reply by The Korn on September 4, 2014 at 3:16am

Honestly, it doesn't make Divvys look any more stupid than they look normally.  I kind of like the contrast!  :D

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on September 4, 2014 at 3:27am

How does that  make them uncomfortable to ride?

Permalink Reply by ad on September 4, 2014 at 3:32am

Well.. having to stand the whole time because you're afraid to sit on the saddle for fear of your pants being ruined by potentially still wet-ish paint comes to mind.  

notoriousDUG said:

How does that  make them uncomfortable to ride?

Permalink Reply by skyrefuge on September 4, 2014 at 4:02am

Someone was really disappointed that they didn't get to ride #DIVVYRED when it was out and about in July, and wanted to increase their odds?

But seriously, this seems really weird. Most spray-painting of property is done as some form of communication, with words or symbols or pictures getting a message across. But this wasn't a case where the bikes were simply being used as a public canvas; it was pretty clearly an attack on the bikes themselves. Makes me think it was done by someone who was pissed about one too many Divvy riders passing her too closely on the sidewalk, or by a really passive-aggressive anti-bike person.

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on September 4, 2014 at 4:20am

It's not very hard to tell if paint is wet or not before you sit down.  Paint on your butt, while inconvenient, I don't think has much of an effect on actual comfort.

Permalink Reply by Davo on September 4, 2014 at 4:30am

I would say its more of an annoyance or irritation, perhaps quite vexing. 

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on September 4, 2014 at 5:49am

Makes sense as a possible motivation for this vandalism.

h' 1.0 said:

Don't forget that in some parts of town Divvy (and bicycling in general) is seen by some as a symbol of gentrification.

Pilsen, Uptown, Humboldt Park come to mind as parts of town where you may be likely to see backlash.

Permalink Reply by Jaik S. on September 4, 2014 at 5:56am

Chicago colors!

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on September 4, 2014 at 6:04am

Well you were obviously confused by it so you're welcome.

Sorry but I can't help but feel you are way over stating the severity of the problem here.  Some bikes got painted by vandals, big deal.  How much stuff gets tagged in Chicago every night?

rwein5 said:

Thank you for your deep insight into how paint works.

Permalink Reply by S on September 4, 2014 at 7:14am

The paint may rub off onto clothing even if it appears to be dry.  Paint on your clothing is more than inconvenient if it ends up ruining expensive clothing.

notoriousDUG said:

It's not very hard to tell if paint is wet or not before you sit down.  Paint on your butt, while inconvenient, I don't think has much of an effect on actual comfort.

Permalink Reply by Andrew Bedno on September 4, 2014 at 8:17am

Awwww, what kind of sicko harms a poor defenseless bike.

Let's start the quite probably true rumor that the kiosks all have video recording.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on September 4, 2014 at 9:35am

I've also seen a little bit of that, but they have been isolated incidents.

h' 1.0 said:

To answer the question in the OP-- I've seen some seats that looked like they were intentionally ripped, and I've seen some magic marker graffitti on bikes and kiosks.  But nowhere near the level I would have anticipated.

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