4 ms·

This is all predicated on the fact that police and passersby care about a bike being stolen. My experience in San Francisco has shown this to not be true.

cobbzilla 10y ago
This is why my approach is multi-pronged. Even if no bystanders intervene, you still have to ask: * What kind of thief wants their theft to be video recorded? * What kind of thief wants a loudspeaker blaring to everyone about their thievery? * What kind of thief wants to risk getting covered in paint? Even if the thief is really, really desperate, and doesn't care about these things, surely there are easier bikes to steal that don't entail this level of risk.
- samcheng 10y ago
  You must not live in San Francisco. Bike 'chop shops' operate in the open, disassembling stolen bikes outside the many tents that line the streets in the Mission district. Here's a good article on the problem: http://archives.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/fighting-sfs-mobile-bicycle-chop-shops/Content?oid=2816129 http://archives.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/fighting-sfs-mob... Thieves will use 'angle grinders' to cut bike locks in broad daylight, on busy streets. Here's an example video: https://www.reddit.com/r/sanfrancisco/comments/4fcy9y/sparks_fly_as_bike_thief_grinds_through_lock/ https://www.reddit.com/r/sanfrancisco/comments/4fcy9y/sparks... These bikes have an uphill battle before they will survive unmolested in San Francisco, particularly the SOMA/Mission area. I wish them luck!
  - cobbzilla 10y ago
    I have lived in SF, and I have worked in SF for years, and I most recently had a bike stolen last year, in FiDi, in broad-daylight. I know what it's like. Thieves are smart and opportunistic. They're less inclined to steal a bike if they know it is being tracked. SFPD in fact have used "bait bikes" on occasion. Go ahead and keep your attitude of smug resignation, that's entirely your right. I refuse to believe that nothing can be done to combat this rampant problem!
- AJ007 10y ago
  I would venture to guess that once a few people are inadvertently sprayed by paint while walking to work in the morning, destroying the bikes in public will be applauded.
AJ007 10y ago
It is pretty silly to basically leave money laying on the ground with an alarm that calls police when someone takes it. A better approach would be to have locks which open for the users. If the user does not lock up the bike and it is stolen, bam, they get hit with the $1500+ fee to replace the bike just like the existing bike sharing systems. Locked bikes can still be stolen, but it is a giant leap ahead of just leaving them laying around.

cobbzilla 10y ago

This is why my approach is multi-pronged. Even if no bystanders intervene, you still have to ask: * What kind of thief wants their theft to be video recorded? * What kind of thief wants a loudspeaker blaring to everyone about their thievery? * What kind of thief wants to risk getting covered in paint? Even if the thief is really, really desperate, and doesn't care about these things, surely there are easier bikes to steal that don't entail this level of risk.

samcheng 10y ago
You must not live in San Francisco. Bike 'chop shops' operate in the open, disassembling stolen bikes outside the many tents that line the streets in the Mission district. Here's a good article on the problem: http://archives.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/fighting-sfs-mobile-bicycle-chop-shops/Content?oid=2816129 http://archives.sfexaminer.com/sanfrancisco/fighting-sfs-mob... Thieves will use 'angle grinders' to cut bike locks in broad daylight, on busy streets. Here's an example video: https://www.reddit.com/r/sanfrancisco/comments/4fcy9y/sparks_fly_as_bike_thief_grinds_through_lock/ https://www.reddit.com/r/sanfrancisco/comments/4fcy9y/sparks... These bikes have an uphill battle before they will survive unmolested in San Francisco, particularly the SOMA/Mission area. I wish them luck!
- cobbzilla 10y ago
  I have lived in SF, and I have worked in SF for years, and I most recently had a bike stolen last year, in FiDi, in broad-daylight. I know what it's like. Thieves are smart and opportunistic. They're less inclined to steal a bike if they know it is being tracked. SFPD in fact have used "bait bikes" on occasion. Go ahead and keep your attitude of smug resignation, that's entirely your right. I refuse to believe that nothing can be done to combat this rampant problem!
AJ007 10y ago
I would venture to guess that once a few people are inadvertently sprayed by paint while walking to work in the morning, destroying the bikes in public will be applauded.

AJ007 10y ago

It is pretty silly to basically leave money laying on the ground with an alarm that calls police when someone takes it. A better approach would be to have locks which open for the users. If the user does not lock up the bike and it is stolen, bam, they get hit with the $1500+ fee to replace the bike just like the existing bike sharing systems. Locked bikes can still be stolen, but it is a giant leap ahead of just leaving them laying around.