![At any given day during bike-friendly months, hundred of students, faculty and staff are riding bicycles on campus as their main form of transportation.](/news/sites/default/files/styles/ucws_image_desktop/public/2019-05/1_8_0.jpg?itok=MUxVrtE0)
At any given day during bike-friendly months, hundreds are riding bicycles.
Riley Brandt, University of Calgary
Aug. 31, 2018
At any given day during bike-friendly months, hundreds are riding bicycles.
Riley Brandt, University of Calgary
Biking is one of the best ways to navigate to and around campus. Whether students, faculty and staff are using bikes for environmental reasons, or as a cost-efficient transportation method, they are a popular conveyance for our active campus population.
But just like the rest of Calgary, the university has had its fair share of preventable bike theft, according to Rick Gysen, director of campus security.
“We’re a soft target for bike theft because we’ve got a community here that believes the university is isolated from what’s going on in the larger community,” Gysen says. “That just isn’t the case.”
In 2017, 80 bikes were reported stolen from campus and numbers are tracking the same way for 2018. But that shouldn’t stop anyone from taking advantage of the freedom and fitness that comes with pedalling to work or school.
“As a rule, bike thieves are pros — they know how to spot an easy bike at a glance, and they know better than to waste time on a bike that has been locked up properly,” he says.
Learn to lock up right
One of the most powerful tools against bike theft is simply knowing how to correctly secure your bike:
Gysen says the best way to lock a bike is using a multi-lock system that uses both a chain lock and a U-lock. Secure the U-lock through the back wheel and frame, while interlocking the chain lock through the top of the U-lock, the front wheel and frame.
Bike lockers are available on both the main and Foothills campuses for $30 per year.
University of Calgary
Use secure bike lockers
Gysen says biking is the primary mode of transportation for many students riding to campus, which means bike theft can have a significant impression on their day-to-day lives.
“When a student loses a $1,500 bike that is their primary mode of transportation, it’s a very impactful loss,” Gysen says.
He encourages everyone to take advantage of protected bike lockers, located both on the Foothills campus and in the Arts Parkade on main campus. For $30 per year, it’s an affordable option if you ride even semi-regularly.
“Bike lockers are the most secure way to store your bike on campus,” he adds.
Buy your bike locker permits online or in person from Parking and Transportation Services.
Report to Campus Security
Reporting thefts and suspicious activity is vital to catching thieves and preventing more thefts in the future. But Gysen says many victims of bike theft don’t always report to the police or security since they don’t feel a recovery is possible.
“People get frustrated because they think their bike is gone for good, but reporting thefts helps Campus Security and the Calgary Police Service identify high-problem areas, theft patterns and — despite what people think — finding the perpetrators,” Gysen says.
Bicycle theft can be reported to Campus Security online, by phone or in person. You can also report suspicious behaviour, and even upload photos, using the HelpLine/TipLine module in the app, UC Emergency Mobile.
Thefts can also be reported to ucalgary.ca/CPS.
Rick Gysen says the best way to lock a bike is using a multi-lock system.
University of Calgary