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Bike Theft Map
- astre9 6y agoFind out your local bike theft crime statistics with Bikmo's Bike Theft Map. Compare your local bicycle theft rates by month or year to other UK areas.
- frereubu 6y agoDid you build this? If so I think you could do with giving us some context. Where is the data from? Why does it look like there are virtually no bike thefts in Scotland? What does this do other than show where large groups of people (and their bikes) live?
- astre9 6y agoSorry for the late reply, the website uses data extracted from https://data.police.uk/data/ https://data.police.uk/data/ and organized in areas using the coordinate polygons. Yes it's clear that more populated areas will have a higher raw theft count but the app shows also rate of thefts per 100k as a better measurement.
- smcl 6y agoIs there anything that can be done to prevent this ending up being a map that shows where people usually leave bikes? https://xkcd.com/1138/ https://xkcd.com/1138/
- matsemann 6y agohttps://bikefinder.com/en/ https://bikefinder.com/en/ It knows where your bike is at all times. It would be cool if one could use the ratio of where people park compared to how often something is stolen from there or something. Like, is it really an unsafe spot or just a popular one? Or is it really a safe spot, or a really unsafe one therefore almost no one uses it any more.
- satellite2 6y agoInteresting how it seems to be distributed pretty uniformly over London.
- fergie 6y agoWhere is the data for the North? Is this service only for Imperial Romans?
- arethuza 6y ago"To robbery, slaughter, plunder, they give the lying name of empire; they make a solitude and call it peace." I hadn't realised Calgacus was talking about bicycle theft! Edit: Just to confirm, up here north of the walls (note the plural) we do actually have bicycles.
- frereubu 6y agoClearly the place to own a bike is Edinburgh, where there are no bike thefts whatsoever. I pity the three people in Scotland who had their bike stolen, in Armadale, Clydebank and Glasgow.
- arethuza 6y agoI never had a bike stolen in Edinburgh even after using cycling as my main means of transport for many years. However, I did once have one completely stripped of components from right outside my flat - just leaving the frame securely locked to the wall.
- arnaudsm 6y agoI would love a heat map to see hot spots more clearly.
- crusty511 6y agoThere is a heat map. I had to wait ~5mins for it to appear.
- politelemon 6y agoI'm unsure what I'm supposed to be seeing here. I zoom in to London, there's plenty of green-ish. I can click a borough, it alone becomes green-ish. I click another, that becomes purple. I have no indication what these colors are supposed to be or if something is supposed to happen? https://i.imgur.com/zYisbCx.png https://i.imgur.com/zYisbCx.png
- frereubu 6y agoThis isn't showing anything to me from what I can see. Just a blank black map when I zoom in enough. At slightly lower zoom levels I can see outlines of cities and towns. Is the idea that those are places where bikes are stolen? If so, isn't this just going to highlight towns and cities because that's lots of bikes are (particularly somewhere like Cambridge where there are loads of bikes), and wouldn't it be better to do per-capita bike thefts? Otherwise this is just a map of where bikes are, rather than where it's more or less dangerous to leave your bike unattended. Edit: Actually, thefts per bike per capita. Just per capita doesn't take out the fact that there are some places with loads more bikes, like Cambridge. That's presuming the idea is to show where it's most likely that your bike will get stolen.
- okamiueru 6y agoIt took a little while for the map data to compute. Looking at the network graph, it had finished downloading the website after a second or so, but it took like 10 seconds for the initial bike theft data layer to show up, and about 50 seconds until the heat-map layer showed. edit: Looks like it loads the outer level heat map data first, then the next level, etc. However, zooming in at this point breaks the site and turns it white. (This is on FF(87)). National Average widget also fails to load on FF, but works on Chrome, same goes for the zoom-in-page-turns-white-bug.
- seszett 6y agoI had to toggle the heatmap layer off (with the button at the bottom right above the "target" icon) and on again for it to show.
- frereubu 6y agoAh, yes, thanks - looks like they've sped it up somehow now too. But my point about the representation of the data still stands.
- gpvos 6y agoIt still took more than a minute for me to show any data, but it did work in the end.
- mrweasel 6y agoBike theft is an underrated crime politically. Here in Denmark politicians are busy kicking out refugees, imposing tough sentences on gang related crime or demanding action against the crime of the week, as reported by the newspapers. All done so that Danes can feel safe in their own city. That's bullshit, want to make Danes feel safe? Actually do something about crime that affect normal people, like bike theft. Most people don't notice gangs and aren't affected by it, but I'd bet that most adult Dane have had a bike or two stolen.
- LeonidasXIV 6y agoIt truly is, theft in general. I moved to Denmark expecting it to be as safe as Germany only to have my backpack stolen while I was eating. Of course the police can't do anything about it, because why would they, they're busy raiding Christiania. At work 2 of my colleagues had their bikes stolen and mine looks deliberately beat up so it doesn't attract attention. Oh yes, refugees. Never had a single problem with them. A nice Syrian restaurant would actually be on my wishlist.
- lm28469 6y ago> Of course the police can't do anything about it tbh what could they do about it ? They can't really go full NCIS over a stolen backpack. There are thousands of "minor" thefts, and other small crimes/offences, every day in big cities, they'd need thousands of people to review videos, look for potential witnesses, follow the trail, &c.
- matsemann 6y agoIf anyone else is having issues, it's supposed to look like this: https://i.imgur.com/0FcxGhy.png https://i.imgur.com/0FcxGhy.png Zoomed in on London: https://i.imgur.com/0LLG9Bz.png https://i.imgur.com/0LLG9Bz.png
- _0o6v 6y agoI enjoyed this map that highlights where most people live.
- Mordisquitos 6y agoRelevant XKCD: https://xkcd.com/1138/ https://xkcd.com/1138/
- input_sh 6y agoI guess nobody lives in Scotland.
- joeberon 6y agoWow this is very slow
- irq 6y agoSuggestion: update title to reflect that this map is only for the UK
- bumbada 6y agoI don't understand the Interface, can't use it.
- rob74 6y agoSo, what does this map tell us? Where bikes are being used, bikes will be stolen. The higher the proportion of expensive bikes, the more thefts. Unfortunately one of the facts of life, but do we really need a map for that?
- kingosticks 6y agoI think it also tells us that students use bikes and students insure their bikes (assuming it's claim data. Actually. given we don't know where this data is from I don't think this tells us anything at all).
- sfa_ok 6y agoWhat I find interesting is you can see the impact that Greater Manchester Police losing crime files has had on the data https://imgur.com/a/zebCHJf https://imgur.com/a/zebCHJf
- gerlofs 6y agoI was curious about this, the idea that Manchester has fewer bike thefts than surrounding cities is just patently absurd.
- milkrocks 6y agoI'd like to see this overlaid with a map of race.
- antihero 6y agoThis is cool. Is there an option to have the heatmap adjusted for population density? Else it will just be a population map.
- Berobero 6y agohttps://xkcd.com/1138/ https://xkcd.com/1138/
- toss1 6y agoNaive non-England-living eye, but it looks to me like a heatmap of population, or a very good proxy thereof. Seems it would be more useful to show [monthly bike thefts per square km] divided by [population per sq km]. Or perhaps better yet the denominator would be [bikes per sq km]. I'd want to know if there is relative safety in numbers, i.e., lower likelihood that my particular bike will be stolen in the highly bike-dense areas, or the opposite because the thieves over-focus their efforts in the bike-dense areas. Any insights?
- usrusr 6y agoUnsafety in numbers, because in a place with hardly any cyclists nobody will develop a bike theft habit. There is some safety in average price of bikes, if your ride is noticeably below average and still secured like the more expensive ones it will be virtually immune to theft. So in a place with more expensive bikes the threshold were theft risk begins can be much higher than in places where everybody goes cheap (because of all the thievery)
- usrusr 6y agoPS: and "because of all the thievery" is a viscous cycle phenomenon, because people who buy cheap due to thievery are the ones most likely to buy pre-owned. Legit pre-owned or not, and the cheaper the less they care. I never lived in a place like that, but I suspect that in places like Amsterdam or Copenhagen the cycle of theft is bordering on turning into something that is effectively more like a service charge, as in occasionally your bike disappears for random unscheduled refurbishing/resale and you just go to the next "refurbishment center"/fence and pay them for a freshly serviced bike, hardly more than you'd pay for service the regular way, if you brought in own bike (and you'd have no bike in the meantime). It almost sounds a bit romantic, but the huge downside is that you can't really use a higher value bike in that scenario and that severely reduces the general utility of cycling: the cheap clunkers that fit well into the "random unscheduled refurbishing" pattern might be fine on short distances, but they tend to be unbearably bad for longer rides (similar to bikeshare bikes, just not quite that bad)
- 6y ago
- InsomniacL 6y agoIf this data is based off their claims data, it will also be affected by their underwriting appetite.. As an example, if an area has a known particularly high theft rate, they may price themselves out of the market for that area and as a result, receive far fewer claims.
- sunsipples 6y agowas biknomo.com taken?
- sethherr 6y agoThere is also a Bike Index map of bike thefts, https://map.bikewise.org https://map.bikewise.org
- gorgoiler 6y agoDoes anyone here have a good link to an investigation into UK bike theft? Who is responsible? Is it their full time job? Do they work in firms, where do the bikes end up, and what are the profit margins for thieves? If the thieves are individual and petty, how do they fence locally without being caught?
- Cd00d 6y agoAnd that is why I am careful to always store my bike in Scotland!
- aendruk 6y agoSee also https://bikemaps.org/ https://bikemaps.org/ for a crowdsourced map of bike thefts, hazards, and collision reports worldwide.
- tamade 6y agoFascinating map. Would love to see this mapped for US cities
- SubiculumCode 6y agoMap is essentially map of population density and an opportunity to try to sell bike insurance. Out of here.
- motohagiography 6y agoThe lack of enforcement incentivises poor people to criminalize themselves, which makes them easier for authorities to manage. There are many solutions to bike theft, but the only reasonable conclusion is that it is in fact not a problem. There is no amout of data, stories, or pressure that will make it a priority because it is specifically something that is managed. Police can increase and decrease enforcement of it at their absolute discretion, while tolerating it in neighbourhoods where they wish to. I was a serious urban cyclist 25 years ago, and participated in Critical Mass rides and alleycat races and the activist culture that ultimately yielded the bikelanes we have today, but I've switched to a car and motorcycle because they're just better, and I don't want to participate in what that culture has become. I have little sympathy for bike thieves or people who loot cars and the stories about desperation from people who anecdotally go ballistic at other kinds of victim blaming, so long as it's not the victims of an actual crime. As someone who lives in a city that has snow 6 months a year, and has a huge rate of bike theft and car breakins, do you know what you can leave on your porch year round that will never get stolen? Shovels and brooms. When snow shovels and brooms aren't safe, I'll engage in the conversation about poverty, but until then, bike theft is just predatory opportunism.
- simonebrunozzi 6y ago> There are many solutions to bike theft, but the only reasonable conclusion is that it is in fact not a problem. There is no amout of data, stories, or pressure that will make it a priority because it is specifically something that is managed. I think you nailed it here. I never thought about it with this clarity.
- at-fates-hands 6y agoI remember my friend had his commuter bike stolen in Minneapolis. He called the MPD to report it right after it happened. They basically told him they have more important stuff to worry about. If he wanted to fill out a form for it he could come down, but no guarantees they would find it. The dispatcher basically told him to stop by the bike auction and maybe it would turn up there. When I worked in a bike shop, a co-worker told me there's multiple bike rings who steal and run bikes between Minneapolis and Chicago. From there, they go all over the country - mostly to the east coast. He said they're able to steal a few hundred bikes a month, and since the cops turn a blind eye, its easy money.
- mring33621 6y agoLast time I rode my bike to work, it was stolen. I work in a big bank, in the Chicago Loop. I parked my bike at a bike rack, outside the bank branch, at the bank's office tower, near at least 2 signs warning of 24/7 surveillance. Double locked. Gone. No metal shavings on the ground. Nothing. I went to security and asked to see the tape. They told me a) they can't show me any footage; b) they don't film the bike racks. I filed the available police and corp report forms and kissed my hopes goodbye. By actively not caring about bike thefts, authorities are actually encouraging them. Now I ride my electric skateboard, which I can keep at my desk, safe.
- 908B64B197 6y agoWhy not bring it inside?
- mint2 6y agoSome office management prohibits things like that. “Blocks walkways or Could get in the in the event of evacuation” Bike storage needs to improve.
- 908B64B197 6y agoI've seen places where they put a bike storage area that's fenced-off (in a sort of cage you need to badge-in) built into an underground parking. Or just rent more space and add a few racks indoor. I've seen a few tech companies that are doing it. Close to the showers.
- asdff 6y agoI imagine few bike thefts are even reported. I doubt precincts like LAPD care very much about bike theft, given a short drive around LA will put you past dozens of camps with piles of bike frames, sometimes right next to the city-issued port-a-pottie.
- astre9 6y agoThis map is for UK ONLY at the moment. Sorry for posting this and running away. This map is using crime data from https://data.police.uk/ https://data.police.uk/ filtered by Bicycle theft category. All thefts were then linked to areas using the polygons of coordinates shown on the map. Indeed I should update and remove areas from Scotland and Northern Ireland as those were not included in the dataset extracted from data.police.uk.
- 908B64B197 6y agoDon't apologize for building something!
- astre9 6y agoThere were some problems today with the unexpected traffic which overwhelmed the servers and some features of the app such as the monthly chart and theft rate became unavailable. We are still working on this issue and hopefully next week those will be solved. Also we are looking to include other countries in the future such as Germany and maybe others if we can extract the data in a similar manner from the gov sites.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- Black101 6y agoI bet most of the red spots are more densely populated...
- d13 6y agoCan someone please explain why countries with extremely low crime rates in general seem to have terrible bike theft problems?