With bike theft on a noticeable rise in Penticton, the city is asking the public to play a key role in its response to the problem.
From January to March, RCMP reported a total of 15 stolen bicycles in Penticton, up from the 13 in the first three months of 2021.
But according to local bylaw officers, the problem appears to be much worse than what the numbers may say. That’s why with the reintroduction of a five-year-old app, 529 Garage, the city is hoping cyclists across the community can not only prevent bike theft but also help stolen ones make it back to their rightful owners.
“People are experiencing theft of their bikes a lot more frequently from what we’re hearing and seeing,” said Tina Mercier, the city’s bylaw services manager.
The free-to-use app that lists a bike’s serial number, make, model and potential location has been implemented as a crime prevention strategy by municipalities across B.C. and the United States. Though Penticton residents have had software available to them for more than five years, community awareness around the project remains low.
“We do have 7,500 bikes already registered in the region, but we want a shield on every bike,” said Alexis Hovenkamp, a local community policing coordinator.
The aforementioned “shield” Hovenkamp refers to is placed on each bike registered in the Project 529 program. The sticker is linked with the app and acts as a QR code so that a bike can be tracked and recovered after it has been stolen.
According to Rick Dellebuur, another community policing coordinator, Penticton currently has the most bike thefts per capita in B.C. The app may be a useful tool to help stolen bikes get back to their owners but it’s going to take a lot more than that to end the problem once and for all, he adds.
“People need better locks, too,” Dellebuur said. “The better lock you have, the longer it will take it to get stolen. You can go grab a coffee for a few minutes while feeling secure.”
Garage 529 was developed by Jay Allen, a Seattle resident and Microsoft employee who had his own bike stolen. After pitching the idea to communities across North America, the app has launched successfully in B.C. and is used by “thousands of Canadians,” according to Hovenkamp.
Bylaw officers did not provide the rate of recovery after theft or give the estimated value of stolen bikes in the community during a press conference at Bike Barn on Penticton’s Westminister Drive on July 14.
People are encouraged to call Penticton bylaw services for more information on where they can pick up their bike shields to confirm their registration on Project 529.
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