Examining an Innovative University Method to Prevent Bike Theft

https://news.ncsu.edu/in-the-news/universities-use-gps-trackers-to-bait-bike-thieves/

This interesting article from 2013, although somewhat dated, gives us an interesting lens to view how universities across the US deal with the issue of bike theft and approach cycling solutions in general. It first begins by citing statistics of how damaging bike theft is annually in the US, about $250 per bike, which is clearly cause for concern. The article goes on to explain how universities across the US have implemented ‘bait bike’ programs; a bait bike is bicycle that has a built in GPS tracker which universities then place in vulnerable locations with the hope of catching and arresting bike thieves.

Although this program sounds like a unique and highly advanced way to prevent bike theft, it has been installed in many public universities, including NC State in 2009. This program boasted cutting bike theft on campus by 50% along with a vital complimentary aspect: advertising the program to potential criminals. This looks like a win on the surface for universities, indeed some even experienced 75% reductions in theft, but the programs’ benefits are more nuanced once their cost is evaluated. This cost primarily is seen in purchasing bikes that will serve as bait bikes. Universities must use bikes that exceed the minimum value to charge bike thieves with felony theft, $1000 in NC and up to $2500 in other states (1). Furthermore, these expensive bikes are often stolen once word of the program spreads because the thieves begin to locate and remove GPS trackers from the bait bikes.

Overall, I would argue that bait bike programs, when properly funded, are still more effective for large institutions than other methods. For smaller schools, one potential solution is to subsidize or mandate the installment of affordable GPS trackers on all registered student bikes. These devices range in price depending on how advanced their concealment ability is, but start around only $20 (2), compared to a thousand-dollar bike and tracker. The main issue with this method is that the value of most student bikes will be too low to charge any thieves with a substantial crime.

Sources:
1. https://www.themarshallproject.org/2017/08/09/what-s-the-punishment-for-theft-depends-on-what-state-you-re-in
2. https://discerningcyclist.com/best-bike-trackers-bicycle-gps-tracking-devices/#3