Spartan Daily

Bike heists on the rise for SJSU cyclists

Nick Rivelli, Spartan Daily

Undeclared freshman Alex Ortega locks his bike up in the San Carlos Plaza bike enclosure. The enclosures, which are located in five different spots on campus, are one way to add extra security against bicycle theft on campus.

Several weeks earlier, a friend of Castaneda's had their bike stolen from the same location.

Castaneda, a sophomore environmental studies major, believes it was the lack of lights and cameras that allowed the wheel on his bike to be stolen.

“It is ridiculous,” Castaneda said of bike rack safety. “It was dark and someone obviously had time — they wouldn’t have that time with lights on.”

Bicycle theft is on the rise at SJSU, but there are ways to prevent it, said Sgt. Manuel Aguayo of the University Police Department.

Aguayo explained the spontaneity of bicycle theft adds to the difficulty of prevention — even when it happens in the eyesight of students.

“We have had bicycles stolen in broad daylight with people walking in front of the bicycle racks while the thieves were doing their work," Aguayo said, adding it can take as little as 15 seconds to swipe a bike.

According to Aguayo, there have been 82 reported bicycle thefts so far this year, and there were 109 bicycle thefts in 2010.

“Bicycle theft has always been an issue (on campus) — it has always been a constant challenge for us to deter bicycle theft and arrest bicycle thieves," said Aguayo, adding that the campus police has made 15 arrests this year compared to 11 in 2010.

He said most arrests occur around the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, as that is the one area with security cameras that can monitor the bike racks.

Otto Melara, of Associated Students Transportation Solutions, said they have no way of warding off thefts in the cages other than to advise students on how to be safer.

Associated Students has six cages around campus for SJSU students to protect and lock their bikes, he said — for a $10 deposit, students get a key and access to the bike cages indefinitely.

Melara agreed with Aguayo that the bike racks located near the school library are a hot spot for bike theft and it makes sense for UPD to use a security camera there.

“To get cameras on the cages would require a lot of capital obviously — capital that we don’t have, because this is a student funded organization,” Melara said.

Marshall Hoaglan, a freshman engineering major who uses the A.S. bike cages, said he feels safe using the cages but not at night.

“I have a cable lock and it could get cut, but during the day time people would have to have (expletive) to steal a bike,” Hoaglan said, adding he would have the same security leaving his bike overnight.

Both Aguayo and Melara suggested students avoid using cable locks —Aguayo warned they can be easily cut, allowing the thief to make off with a bike or parts.

Instead, Melara said students can participate in the Associated Students U-lock exchange program.

At tabling events such as Bike to School Day, Melara said Transportation Solutions educates students on the safekeeping of their bikes as well as giving out U-locks in exchange for cable locks.

“Students receive a stub in exchange for their old cable lock which they can redeem for a new U-lock within the week,” he said.

Aguayo also said students should be aware of their surroundings and report any suspicious activity around the bike racks to the university police.