How to protect your favourite two-wheeled vehicle

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:

• Choose the right lock, not the least expensive.
• Lock your bike to a bike rack, or to something that cannot be cut, lifted or removed.
• Lock your bike in a well-lit area with high foot traffic and good visibility.
• Lock your bike using a multi-lock system that makes bikes harder to steal (see diagram).
• Make sure your lock is a tight fit.
• Take the seat with you.

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. 

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.