Bike Thefts In Chicago Remained Stable Last Year

By Chuck Sudo in News on Feb 12, 2014 4:40PM

If you had a bicycle stolen last year you aren’t alone. According to The Chicago Stolen Bike Registry bike thefts increased 5 percent last year over 2012. It’s worth noting that those numbers aren’t that bad and the rise in bike thefts was stable, an indication that more cyclists are taking better precautions when they lock their bikes up to ensure they aren’t stolen.

The number of bike thefts, however, is still much higher than in 2011 when the registry only recorded 774 thefts. Kevin Conway, who helped compile the data and posted it to The Chainlink, told the Tribune bike thefts would be lower if riders stopped using cable locks.

"The consistency of the percentage of thefts that are related to people not locking their bikes or not [at least] locking them with cable locks, is really disappointing," he said. "The vast majority of bike theft is crimes of opportunity. I think there's a comparatively small number of professional, career bike thieves out there."

Conway noted the lowest number of thefts occurred when a U-lock was used to secure the front wheel and bike frame to a bike rack and that too much attention was given to “sucker poles” where bikes are locked to things like street signs that aren’t properly secured.

If you need tips on how to properly lock your bike, check out our post last year on bike etiquette tips. It could be the difference between buying a new air pump and a new bike.