But, one question I have is:
Is this a rise in bike thefts while the number of bike riders remains the same?
Or is it that Seattle is growing, more people are riding bikes, and we're reporting bike thefts?
There are other bike related thefts as well. I was walking to the IMA building on UW campus one day about a week ago and saw several bikes at the nearby racks missing seats, with others whose seats were up high or partially pulled out. And often, the only bike theft reports are of actual bikes, not of accessories and peripherals.
I'd normally go with your point, Will, but it looks like thieving in itself has proliferated.
Has George Allen been in town recently?
Gomez,
I'm not sure about every instance, but I think in a lot of cases bike owners pull the seats to make the bikes less attractive to thieves.
It only takes a handful of people to get their bike thieving routine down well, and apparently the hill has a few that have. People that do this, do this every day, it's their "deal". I think only a small percentage of these thefts are simple crimes of opportunity.
When/if they're caught, numbers will go down a bit, then back up when said thieves are back at it or some newcomers master their trade.
The good news is that a racket of pro bike thieves is just another step in becoming a World Class City Seattle, way to go!
P.S. It is suprising, however, that with all the bicyclist that dress up as Spiderman for their commute, there seems to be very little crime fighting actually taking place.
I don't recall it (removing the seat to deter thieving) being such a common practice in general, Comte.
We're talking half the bikes at a university rack, and UW kids aren't always the savviest of bike riders, many not nearly savvy enough to pull the seat off to divert thieves. Many of these bikes were even cable locked by the frame!
Comte, while that is a possible strategy to deter bike thieves, a sage thief espying an expensive but seatless bike would simply steal the bike and later steal a seat from another bike.
Actually, bike stealing at the UW has always been a problem.
But this _is_ why I skateboard to campus instead of bike ...
I'm skeptical that such small fluctuations in such a small amount of data over such a short period indicates anything more than normal variation. What's a graph of the last 25 years look like?
Sure, Fnarf, because NOTHING about society and theft has changed between 1981 and today.
We need less bikes in Seattle. They get in the way of all the single-occupant commuters who enjoy sitting in traffic.
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