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reposted from: http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/open_thread/2007/09/the_bicycle_thieves.html

The bicycle thieves

Cycling is better for the environment and better for our health but theft may deter some. How can we protect our bikes?

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September 24, 2007 1:30 PM | Printable version

Having a wheeley good time on the car-free chain bridge in Budapest. Photographer: STR/Getty Images.

City centres across Europe were car-free this weekend and London was teeming with cyclists enjoying open roads during yesterday's London Freewheel. The push to get us all out of our gas guzzling cars and onto bikes in order to save the planet and improve our health is gaining momentum. Employers can now offer their staff a shiny, new VAT-free bike to get to work on and tax allowances for work related use.

However, the vulnerability of the humble bike means that one is stolen every 71 seconds. That's hardly going to encourage new cyclists to start pedalling to work, so what is to be done? Some suggest making your bike as unappealing a target as possible. One thrifty anti-theft device is a rust sticker, which makes your shiny bike look like it's seen better days. Mud and clunky unattractive mudguards can also help to disguise the beauty of your bicycle.

Boris Johnson is quite sternly opposed to this type of ploy, "don't have a bike that's too flash, they say. Try painting it some depressing colour, like orange or purple". Boris feels that the victim should not shoulder the responsibility for bike theft. He suggests we use tracking devices and decoy bikes to solve the problem.

What do you think, how can we overcome the problem of bike theft and get more people cycling?