Bike racks, installed by the thousands in Montreal, cannot stand up to thieves who are increasingly well-equipped, who manage to cut them up, to the chagrin of cyclists and even the suppliers of these infrastructures.
“[L’administration Plante]they support cycling and want to encourage it, so they should create safe facilities so people don’t have to buy four bikes a year,” protests Isabelle Dionne.
The Plateau-Mont-Royal resident was shocked to see her $700 new bike, secured with an ultra-strong padlock, had been stolen in broad daylight after she had left it for a few hours of session at a climbing center on Papineau Avenue.
Instead of attacking his padlock, the criminal was more targeting the support of the city of Montreal, which he was able to interrupt to go on Ms. Dionne’s bike.
“I shot a little bit [le poteau coupé]I saw that you can easily slide the padlock through the opening,” says Ms Dionne, realizing that the theft could have happened fairly quickly.
Ms. Dionne is not the only one who has fallen victim to this scheme. On Facebook in November, a cyclist reported that his electric bike had been stolen by posting a photo of a cut made in virtually the same spot on an identical pad in Montreal.
The Journal also found two other mediums, in Rosemont – La Petite-Patrie and Le Plateau-Mont-Royal – to suffer the same cut.
Photo Olivier Faucher
A thief seems to have tracked down this bicycle stand on the corner of Boulevard Saint-Joseph and Rue Garnier.
The “discouraged” provider
In an interview with Le Journal, the owner of GG Innox, the main supplier of public bike racks installed in various neighborhoods of Montreal, did not hide his despair at the thieves’ investigation.
“I’m a little discouraged!” says Michel Gendron, who claims his stainless steel brackets are “the thickest” on the market and he’s shipped thousands of them to Montreal boroughs.
Except that in 2023, a well-equipped and determined thief will always have his way, no matter the material or thickness, he argues. “You can’t do anything about it.”
Mr Gendron explains that the increasing availability of battery-powered saws, particularly grinders, allows thieves to cut through a bike rack in seconds.
He even reports that in several cases the thieves have stolen entire supports by cutting through the ground anchors.
“A thief who sees a $5,000 bike and wants to steal it, we can’t stop him,” he concludes.
He says he’s willing to discuss with the city of Montreal to thwart the thieves’ technological advances, but admits he has “no idea how” right now to prevent that scourge.
Photo Olivier Faucher
The same scenario probably played out at the corner of Rue Masson and Avenue 6e.
How can you protect yourself?
It’s the same observation at Vélo Québec, which claims that the bike rack models used by the city of Montreal are “part of what they recommend.”
“In the face of a really determined and equipped thief, there is nothing to do,” supports program director Magali Bebronne, who recommends multiplying the obstacles by blocking his bike to deter the thief. “We’re trying to dissuade that and, it’s boring to say, make our bike less likely to be stolen than the neighbor’s.”
If this type of bike rack is likely to remain the norm due to the small footprint on commercial streets, Vélo Québec proposes other solutions to better secure parked bikes.
“There is secure parking with limited access. There are more and more vendors in the Quebec market offering security boxes that are removed with an application. It’s still a question that’s growing in importance because with electric bikes worth up to $5,000, the incentive is strong.”
The city of Montreal had not responded to questions from the Journal Thursday night.
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