By Jill Holt
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Thursday, September 18, 2003
Addressing all your most important questions and concerns
Question: How many bicycles are stolen on campus every year?
Answer: I still remember that sad day last summer when I walked out of the Cherry Avenue Garage to find an empty space on the bike rack where I had left my old beach cruiser Diamondback bicycle the week before. (It was the coolest bike ever too! It had a basket, a water-bottle holder and three speeds!)
Apparently, tons of students have had experiences like mine. According to the UAPD Web site, 524 bikes were stolen in 2002, a number that's been climbing steadily from only 224 in 1999. In fact, the police log for this Tuesday contained three reports of bike theft and three reports of suspicious people hanging around bike racks.
Here are some useful tips from the UAPD on how to protect your bike:
Never leave your bicycle unlocked and unattended. UAPD recommends that bicycles be secured with an oversized "U" shaped bicycle lock, or with a lock-and-chain/cable combination. Lock the bike to a parking block or bicycle rack. Do not lock bikes to themselves or to railings or buildings.
Engrave your bicycle with your name or driver's license number and keep a record of it with a description of the bike and serial number.
Register your bike. The University of Arizona Parking and Transportation Services provides free bicycle registration, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the Parking and Transportation Services office, 888 N. Euclid Avenue. It is necessary either to bring your bicycle to PTS or to have proof of ownership, such as a bill of sale, to register your bicycle.
However, a case of bicycle disappearance doesn't necessarily mean it was stolen. All year, PTS collects abandoned bicycles on campus and offers them to clubs and other organizations on campus, or auctions them off to the public. Once the bike is impounded, the owner has another 90 days to come and claim the bike before it becomes state property and is auctioned off.
I hope that satisfies your curiosity! And I also hope you can protect your bike from a similar fate than mine! (sniff sniff)
Do you have a burning question that keeps you up tossing and turning at night? Send it to the campus detective! E-mail her at catcalls@wildcat.arizona.edu
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