Kelcie Grega/The State PressLast fall, the Tempe campus was recognized as a gold-level bicycle friendly university by the League of American Bicyclists. Based on a five-point analysis, it is one of the top 12 bicycle-friendly college campuses in the U.S.
With positive — yet cautious — acceptance of this ranking, local politicians have continued to ride the high of this achievement and have drafted a law proposal geared at condemning the elusive, but ever-present bicycle capers lurking around ASU’s four campuses snatching bikes and selling them for profit.
For Tempe City Council Member Kolby Granville, health, fitness and green living have always intersected. Based on his personal values and the number of people who use bikes as their main form of transportation in Tempe, "bikeability" in the Valley has become an ongoing project for Granville. In this case, bikeability does not only mean improving bike lanes, increasing bike racks and creating a more pedestrian-friendly environment, but protecting the bikes as well.
Granville has previously spoken about the unjust profitability of bicycle thieves, and his desire to eradicate theft from the bicycle community. He’s teamed up with Rep. Andrew Sherwood, D-Tempe, to tackle the issue. When speaking on this new proposal, he clarified the reason for drafting legislation to battle bike theft, saying most people who are stealing bikes are serial criminals selling the bikes to use money for other illegal practices.
Granville told The State Press, “If you are stealing bikes as an adult, you are using the money to fund something illegal.” He continued, “If police catch someone stealing bikes, they will get a search warrant and search the person’s house. Usually they find items from more serious crimes like drugs or weapons.”
While making bike theft a felony may appear a viable solution to combat theft, it’s not as well reasoned as it appears on surface level. In theory, it’s great. Criminals should be held accountable for for their actions. However, most stolen bikes are never located by police, and often, for the victims of the theft, it feels like the search for a missing bike is not taken as seriously as it should be — or even started at all.
While there are more than 15,000 bike owners on ASU’s campuses, according to the bike section on the website of The Office of the Executive Vice President, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer, a mere 681 bikes were stolen between 2012 and 2013. With a number this small, there is hardly a call for a felony charge to be placed on all bike thieves. As the student population grows, the bike population correlates — as does the supposed bikeability of all four campuses and their surrounding areas.
Instead of focusing on cracking down on bicycle theft — which eerily mirrors the ineffective and totalitarian Safe and Sober campaign — ASU, Granville, Sherwood and the rest of city council who are promoting this legislation should focus on solidifying the fundamentals of bike protection and ownership.
When purchasing a bike, there is always the risk that it may be stolen. It is important to ensure that bike owners are responsible and safe. This includes promoting serial number registration at both the University and local government levels, bike selfie registration and proper lock techniques and varieties. Instead of removing bike racks and replacing them with bike valets, they should increase both of the provided services, as well as provide different styles of bike racks to support all the types of bicycles on campus.
The answer to solving crime does not always lie in over-criminalization. By fostering awareness and proper bike ownership courtesies, ASU students and locals will be able to combat bike theft more effectively than local law enforcement will be.
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