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Reduce Bicycle Theft on Campus (Ongoing)

Recent Project Updates

  • 7/25/2023

    On 07/25/2023, Sarthak and Hrushikesh had a meeting with the University of Illinois Police Department (UIPD) regarding:

    Meeting Notes-

    - Explaining how to use Field Maps and its functions to UIPD  

  • 11/17/2022

    The next steps for the project progress would be to review the past BFU applications from 2011 - 2019 to understand the stage we as a university are at currently and would help to identify, compare and contrast the work across these timelines to i

Associated Collections

Description

Like any large community with many bicycles, bike theft is a problem in Champaign-Urbana.  Bike theft is a real barrier that prevents theft victims from riding bicycles, and discourages others from bringing high-quality bicycles to campus. The University aims to reduce bike thefts on campus by providing better, more secure bicycle parking and storage facilities, a more robust bicycle registration system, and by working with local police enforcement, bicycle shops, and community groups to identify theft deterrents on campus. 

Keys to reducing bicycle theft:

  1. Never leave your bicycle unlocked!
  2. Always lock your bicycle to a bicycle rack! Learn how to properly lock your bicycle Lock Your Bike Right (LYBR) video from 2019.
  3. Register your bicycle and install the registration sticker (529 Shield) to your bicycle. Learn more at Bike at Illinois' Register Your Bike page or go.illinois.edu/mybike
  4. Report a bike theft to UIPD immediately at (217) 333-1216.

As bicycle theft is a large problem on campus, there is an connection between high theft and ease of theft. Remember to lock your bicycle properly and in the right place. "Where?" and "how?" are questions every cyclist should think about before they lock their bicycle. In general, a solid U-Lock and with a wheel cable are what is recommended. Again, always lock your bicycle to an actual bicycle rack!

Background

Between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021, there were 48 bicycle thefts reported to the University of Illinois Police Department (UIPD).  This number is believed to be a low estimate, due to under-reporting, and because some bike thefts on campus may have been reported to the local Champaign or Urbana city Police Departments. Following are the number of reported bicycle thefts for the past 5 years:

July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017: 49

July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018: 100

July 1, 2018 to June 30, 2019: 61

July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020: 66

July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021: 48

That is an average of nearly 65 reported bicycle thefts a year!

Top 10 areas of bike theft from January 2013-June 2021 :
Area Number of Bikes Stolen
Electrical and Computer Engineering Building (ECE) 47
Siebel Center 30
Illini Union 25
Coordinated Science Lab (CSL) 24
LAR 17
Orchard Downs 15
Allen Hall 14
Beckman 13
Hopkins Hall  13
ARC/CRCE 12

Source: UIPD 7/8/21

Conclusion

No description has been provided yet.

Project Team

  • Primary Contact:

    Sarthak Prasad

    Team Members:

    • Stacey DeLorenzo
    • Ed Kavannah (UIPD)
    • Tara Hurless (UIPD)
    • Alisha Funkhouser-Walker

    Prior Contacts:

    • Lily Wilcock

Themes