MADISON, Wis. — A series of bicycle thefts in a Madison neighborhood is cause for concern among residents, who say it feels like the thefts are on the rise.
Data from the Madison Police Department shows three bikes were reported stolen in the 900 block of Spaight Street over the weekend and early this week. One cyclist reported locking their bike in front of their home Monday night and came outside Tuesday morning to find it gone. Another found her bike missing Monday morning after locking it up the previous night, and a third woman found her bike missing Monday morning after locking it up on Friday.
Two other bike thefts were reported in the area in the past week and a half, police said.
While Madison Police Department public information officer Stephanie Fryer said bike thefts are something officers see year-round and that there isn’t a specific recent uptick, Alexandra McWilliams from Madison Freewheel Bicycle Company said people come in reporting stolen bikes constantly.
“Every day, almost every single day, we have someone come in,” she said.
Harald Kliems, the board president of advocacy group Madison Bikes, agrees.
“In the last couple weeks and months, and maybe even longer, it does seem like more people are posting, ‘Hey, my bike was stolen,’ ‘Somebody attempted to steal my bike and didn’t succeed,’ or, ‘My bike was stolen and then recovered.’”
A good bike lock is the best way to protect against theft, Kliems said. Bicyclists who can’t keep their bikes inside should keep them in a well-lit area where people would notice someone trying to cut a lock off.
Kliems recommends avoiding cable locks. A good rule of thumb is spending 10% of the bike’s purchase price on a lock.
It is also important to lock a bike to a secure structure; even the best lock doesn’t do anything if it’s not secure.
Cyclists can also register bikes with the National Bike Index so that they’ll be notified if it’s found or resold.
Renee Callaway, the city’s pedestrian bicycle administrator, recommends filing a police report if a bike is stolen.
“The police department collects them, and they would like to get them back to their owners,” she said.
Click here to report a stolen bike.
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