For students who lack access to a car, bikes are a great alternative to get around the neighborhood. Environmentally, they have their advantages; they lack the carbon footstep that their mechanical, gasoline-fueled alternatives emit. Plus, bikes are sometimes just fun to ride and require only intermittent maintenance, such as patching or pumping the occasional flat tire. It’s easy to see why bikes have dramatically increased in popularity last year, especially within the Wilcox student community. Because more and more students are riding bikes this year, space in the installed racks on campus is becoming scarce.
Riding a bike to Wilcox comes with its perks. You arrive faster than if you walk and it is more environmentally efficient than driving. If you are coming from eastbound to Wilcox, chances are you can use the green bike lanes that are painted all around Calabazas, guaranteeing safety in the heavy traffic around Wilcox. However, biking to school also has a few drawbacks.
The bike racks have been filled up in accordance to the increase in popularity in bikes. Around a month ago, this led to a bike-space crisis, as almost all of the racks by the creek in Wilcox were filled up. This left bikers who arrived later to campus with nowhere to lock up their bikes. Many resorted to fastening their bikes to street signs around the front of the large gym, as well as the fence surrounding the football field.
According to Steve, a security guard on campus, five or six new bike racks have assuaged the problem. The new additions have not only increased space for bikers to park their bikes but have also offered student bikers more flexibility in terms of where to lock their bikes. New racks are now available for bikes from the far side of the main gym to across the creek.
Although this problem appears to be solved, another problem continues to haunt Wilcox bikers. With more bikes arriving on campus, an increasing number of bikes have also been disappearing. As a result, Wilcox administration has focused their attention on this problem. As Steve waited at the main bike rack by the creek, he recalled that there were cameras that were turned on the bikes. “However, sometimes if a kid takes a bike, it is hard to tell, because there are so many bikes,” Steve recounts. “It’s never good when a kid’s bike is stolen.”
Brendan Dickson, a junior at Wilcox, is not impartial to these incidents happening, as well. He recounts a time when he lost his black and gold road-mountain hybrid bike. “One day near the end of the school year, school was over and I wanted to ride home. I walked up and down the bike racks multiple times before I realized my bike’s not there.” Dickson remembers he diligently locked his bike, so he speculates that whoever stole it probably used a pair of cutters. Now that he thinks back on it, he comments “I mean, what can you do?”
Whatever the underlying motive or cause may be, the number of bikes stolen will most likely go up. The most prominent example of this is present in UC Davis, the “city that fell in love with bicycles” according to The Guardian. The main way of getting around on campus is by bike, and almost every student has one. A student that attends Davis states that “bikes are stolen all the time.” There are even stories, possibly exaggerated ones, about people stealing from each other’s backyards and garages. These outrageous stories give the listener an idea of what the situation is like. “Some people even steal and sell bike racks to dorm houses,” the college student continues. “So dorm students lock their bikes in their dormitories.”
If you look further on the UC Davis Reddit, many people are asking for a more efficient method to lock their bikes. Phrases like “bikes are stolen all the time” and “I only got to ride my bike two to three times” are seen all over the subreddit. In one thread, a student explains the mistake of locking your bike to a pole with a U-Lock, using a YouTube link as evidence. The YouTube video is titled “Sheldon brown locking method potential flaw,” and has a man viciously cutting through the tire frame of a locked bike, and yanking it free of the U-Lock.
Despite these horrific allegations, some situations are not as drastic. Steve recalls a student who attempted to lock their bike around a pole near the main gym. “The lock did not actually go around the pole and the bike was just sitting there.” It turns out the bike was just grabbed and pedaled away. Steve sums the situation up with an important piece of advice— “Always lock your bikes. It’s a good idea to lock your bike against something secure.”
There are a few guidelines that will help discourage theft. While locking your bike is one, preferably with a sturdy U-Lock that cannot be clipped, it is also best to lock it to something stable in a well-lit, public area, like the bike racks installed across Wilcox.
Nevertheless, common sense in taking care of your bike is an important part of discouraging theft. With the administration’s assistance, the Wilcox community can hopefully work together to help prevent theft on campus.