Quote:
The filmmaker Casey Neistat conducts an experiment in New York City, locking up his own bike and brazenly trying to steal it, to determine whether onlookers or the police would intervene.
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2012/03/12/opinion/100000001423494/bike-thief.htmlFor the most part, no one did
anything. There was a video camera in the vicinity documenting all the activity, but even so, people didn't seem to notice it and still...no one intervened (with the exception of the conclusion).
This video was shot in New York, and makes me question my assumption about locks even further. I realize the human-factors component is even stronger than I thought. a) No one wants to intervene or become involved, b) the thief looks as if he means business and might be armed. In most American municipalities, bike theft is assigned a low-priority by law enforcement, making it unlikely they would show up when called (law enforcement/police are severely underfunded in my own town; even felonious miscreants often spend as little as two hours in jail...if they spend any time there at all. Police have announced they will not respond to
any reports of property theft/property crimes, and will not aid in filing a report. One can file a report oneself online...or not at all. A copy of the report is required for insurance reimbursement).
A friend rode his bike solo from Rotterdam to Santiago de Compostela and back last May and June. His bike was occasionally left alone at night, and not always in a compound or secure area. He decided to leave home his attachable cable and depended solely on the ring-lock attached to the rear seatstays/wheel. No problem, though the bike was never secured to anything but itself. It would have lasted about 5 minutes here, if that.
Best,
Dan.
