Bike Theft In Eugene:

An Ever Growing Problem, But Not One Students Cant Combat

Bike theft continues to be a huge issue in Eugene. Bikes are stolen all around town every single day and these continued crimes take severe financial and emotional tolls on students who are affected. These bike thefts happen especially frequently on campus and in the neighborhoods surrounding the University of Oregon. In fact, according to a special report by the Eugene Police Department, 422 bikes with values totaling over 196,000 dollars were stolen from the west university neighborhood just last year.

Since this problem has been one that University of Oregon students face daily it is important for students to learn how to better approach this problem and protect their bikes from theft and damage. We uncovered the story of  University of Oregon junior Dave Rodriguez, who had not only one but two of his bikes stolen while living here in Eugene. His first bike was given to him by his late uncle and had a lot of sentimental value to him. He left his bike outside a friend’s house while planning to go in for only a minute. Making the mistakes of staying longer than expected as well as not locking his bike up was two that ultimately led to his bike being stolen. “I was just devastated by having it gone and really wish I had locked it properly”, the junior says.

Officer Kelly McIver of the University of Oregon police department deals day in and day out with crimes in the campus area. “Theft is the number one crime on campus and bikes have the highest rate of theft,” says McIver. McIver goes on to reveal that bike theft usually takes place late at night when there are not that many people around or during the day with a lot of people around when everyone is distracted. Fortunately, there are solutions that can make it much more difficult for thieves to steal your bike. Officer McIver says that having a U shaped lock, such as a Kryptonite brand lock, is the first step in protecting your bike.

Another important thing to do is locking your bike through the tire as well as the frame of the bike itself. This locking procedure makes it more difficult to take the separate parts of your bike such as the tires. Always look for a safe place to lock up your bike and if there is no place to lock up your bike then it is best to take it inside with you. Although bike theft will never be a completely unavoidable crime, if you make smart decisions and learn how and where to lock your bike you can significantly reduce your chances of having your bike stolen.

Unfortunately, students cannot escape the issue even off campus. Last year, the bike theft rate increased 63 percent in the first quarter of 2013.The city of Eugene says that, “the odds of getting your bike back will go up significantly’ if the bike is registered. Officer McIver agrees and adds that he has witnessed students getting their bikes back that were registered with the UO office of transportation. “Later, if that bike is abandoned, or if we encounter someone for other purposes, and we find that they have a bike that’s registered to a University student – we can impound that and get it back to them,” said McIver. In the case of Eugene as a whole, students can register their bikes with Eugene Police.

University of Oregon sophomore Corinn Ferwalt recently replaced her bike after the last one was stolen at her apartment complex. “I’ve learned that in this town – there is no secure place to lock a bike unless you keep it inside. I really want my building to install an actual bike rack, and that would make it easier to lock up a bike, but it would still not be 100 percent safe,” said Ferwalt. Apartments across Eugene have struggled keeping tenants bikes safe and secure. Across Eugene, many stripped bikes can be seen that have been sitting there for months.  “Don’t be too attached to your bike, because it will probably go away at some point during your life in Eugene,” said Ferwalt

This is not just a problem with a small amount of students and Eugene residents. Bike theft is on the rise. On average, over 2 bikes are stolen a day, according to the City of Eugene. From 2011 to 2013, those numbers have only gotten worse. Many students are not risking the financial blow of losing an expensive bike, opting to buy a cheaper bike instead. Ferwalt is one of those students. “I bought a $200 Target bike [to replace it], because I knew the chance of it getting stolen again are very high,” said Ferwalt.

On a whole, bike theft is a part of a larger theft problem in Eugene. According to Eugene Police, 2,097 cars were broken into in 2011. Many of these cars had visible, valuable property inside. In the same year, 589 cars were stolen. These numbers are unusual for the average city. In 2011, bike lock company Kryptonite released its list of the top 10 worst cities for bicycle theft. Eugene was number 6. It featured the lowest population compared to the other 9 states listed. Despite having far less people, the rate of bike theft was still on par with some of the populous cities in the United States. Whatever the reason, it is clear that Eugene residents and UO students must take extra precaution to protect their bikes.

Team Reflection:

Our group learned a lot from the weeks we spent doing this multimedia project. Not knowing much about bike theft or how to prevent it, researching and filming for this piece helped us understand the issue a lot better. We learned that this was a good issue to pursue because it affects many people. There were many sources to talk to, each from different backgrounds. Figuring out which issue to pick was worthwhile and beneficial to our success.