Let's make C-U a bike thief Un-Friendly Community.

I think that our local cycling community would benefit from a relatively simple system which would compile and distribute information on stolen bikes.  I gave it some thought last night and we discussed and refined a possible system at our weekly staff meeting this morning.  This is not a finished product and I'd welcome suggestions to improve it.  But here's the idea.

The system would consist of three parts:

1. An easy way for the owner to register their bike as stolen.
2. A way to disseminate that information to appropriate people in our community.
3. An accessible list of stolen bikes that people could refer to.

Champaign Cycle is volunteering to set up and run this system.  We could implement it in the following manner:

  1.  Register your bike as stolen.

The bike owner would email service@champaigncycle.com  (I'm changing this to stolen@champaigncycle.com) with "Stolen Bike" as the subject and provide the information on the stolen bike.  We will develop an email form that they could fill out and email back.  That form would include:

*IMPORTANT INFORMATION

• *Serial Number
  • Check with the bike shop you bought the bike from.  They should have recorded the serial number and have that record for you.
• *Brand
• *Model
• *Color
• *Frame type (men's or women's frame)
• *Bike Shop Sticker
• *Distinctive Features (white aero wheels, yellow baby seat with frog stickers, 12" rusty scratch on top tube, black fenders and rear rack)
• Size (frame size or wheel size)
• Style (road, mountain, hybrid, cruiser, kids, etc)
• Where it was purchased
• Year Purchased
• Date Stolen
• Location of theft (First and John, Cherry Hills, UI Library)
• Locked with (U lock, cable, chain, in garage, unlocked)
• *Name
• *Email
• *Phone

We would ask that the Police departments also submit their stolen reports so we could disseminate their information.

All this information would help everyone identify the bike to help return it to its owner.  The information could also provide a view of how big a problem bike theft is and where and how bikes are stolen.

  2.  Dissemination of stolen bike information to interested parties.

We would maintain an email list and we would send the information on the stolen bike to:

• Police: Champaign, Sheriff, UI, Urbana
• CCB eMail list
• KMBC eMail list
• PCC eMail list
• UC Bike Ride eMail list
• Bakers Bikes
• Bike Project
• Bikeworks
• Durst Cycles - Urbana and Champaign
• Itty Bitty Bike Shop
• Neutral Cycle Workshop
• The local pawn shops

   3.  Maintain an accessible list of stolen bikes.

We would maintain a list of the stolen bikes on a page on our website to which anyone could refer at any time.  It would be under the Service Tab as Stolen Bikes.  The list would include all the stolen bikes reported to us and would be sortable by column of the categories listed on the report form.  So you'd be able to sort the list by brand, serial number, or whatever.  That way you wouldn't have to print out each report or keep a list which might be out of date. 

So that's the system as we envision it.  We could have it up and running next week.  Any ideas on improving it would be welcome.  We don't suggest that this is a finished project.  It can evolve as we gain experience with it.  I would especially appreciate input from our Police departments.  I'd also be glad to hand this off to another organization, but we are happy to develop and maintain it.  I don't think it will be much of a job for our staff.  We've assigned a person to administer it.  The thing that will make it work and be effective is that we list all the stolen bikes.  So promoting notifying the system of your stolen bike is very important. 

As this system became more widely used, and more widely known, it should act as a bicycle theft deterrent.  If prospective thieves know there is a system to register stolen bikes and that there are Police, bike shops, pawn shops, and individuals on the outlook for stolen bikes, it may make stealing less attractive.  Think of this as a Bicycle Community Watch.

What do you think?

Peter Davis
Champaign Cycle
217-352-7600

The University of Illinois is partnering with Champaign County Bikes to host the first-ever campus-wide bicycle census during Sustainability Week 2013. Volunteers will be dispatched across campus to help count parked bicycles during a one-hour period at 10am on October 23. The findings of the count will help inform future decisions around bicycle infrastructure, parking, and programming on campus. Sign up to volunteer or to learn more at http://go.illinois.edu/BikeCount2013. RSVP on Facebook to help spread the word!

Katie, I have not forgotten about this.  I am working on tracking down the “master plan” so to say for the existing parking decks.  Several are in need of repair & we are looking at what to do in the long run.  There is a feasibility study that will take place over the next year or so to determine what to do.   I am still looking into covered parking in the unused corners of parking garage spaces, but I want to wisely invest the $ into something that will last for a long time.   Thank you for your feedback and patience.   From: Johnston, Morgan B  Sent: Friday, September 20, 2013 5:08 PM To: Katie Kinley Cc: DeLorenzo, Stacey Subject: RE: Bike Parking   Hi Katie,   Stacey DeLorenzo is the new TDM Coordinator and she is handling the bike parking infrastructure needs.  I think that she would be a good first place to start.  I know that the SSC funded bike parking does not include parking inside the North Campus Parking Deck (NCPD), which is the ECE garage you are thinking of.   I also know that the Parking Department has historically avoided bike parking inside decks/garages, due to safety concerns.  Stacey can talk with the Parking Director, Michelle Wahl, and perhaps you can work together to get Parking to agree to let some be added there…   Stacey, Katie is the SSC Transportation Working Group chair.  So, when we have the ARC’s approval of the new bike racks, she is one who will be copied on the scope change request.   Thanks!! Morgan   ============================ Ms. Morgan B. Johnston Sustainability Coordinator University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Facilities & Services, 115J PPSB, MC-800 1501 S. Oak, Champaign, IL 61820 217-333-2668 mbjohnst@illinois.edu http://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu     From: Katie Kinley [mailto:krkinley@gmail.com]  Sent: Friday, September 20, 2013 4:54 PM To: Johnston, Morgan B Subject: Bike Parking   Hi Morgan,   Who could I ask about whether or not there will be bike parking inside the ECE parking garage??   Thanks,   Katie Kinley

Dear Student Sustainability Committee,   As the new Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Coordinator in Facilities & Services, I am writing to introduce myself to the Committee and provide you with an update on the Bicycle Parking Upgrade project, which I have taken over as part of my new role. We have been transitioning the role of TDM Coordinator from Morgan Johnston to me since June, and she has been working to bring me up to speed on the large number of transportation infrastructure projects happening across campus, including bicycle parking upgrades. While we have made progress toward the completion of this project, we are requesting an additional extension to finish the work.   In addition to the delay from the staff transition period, we have taken some time to evaluate our various options to ensure that the upgraded racks provide the long-term solution that was intended by SSC’s funding award. One of the primary challenges with this project is that many of the bike parking locations selected for this project are in need of concrete or pavement upgrades; however, funding is not in the TDM budget to pay for these upgrades. One location, the Art & Design Building, has been completed so far with financial support from the Art & Design Department to re-lay new concrete at that site.  For the majority of the other locations, however, there is no funding available from the departments to repair or replace the cracked and degraded concrete.  This has made us hesitant to install new bicycle racks onto pavement that will need to be replaced in a matter of years.   As a more permanent solution, we are looking at a few alternative configurations of bike racks.  All those we are considering are moveable and can easily be relocated – whether to upgrade the pavement beneath them, to accommodate a construction project, or to permanently relocate a building’s bicycle parking to a more optimal location over time.  We are looking at rack units which can be purchased and also a rack where 5 U-loops would be installed on rails, rather than directly cemented into the ground. While the initial cost of constructing the loops on rails is higher, it is a much more sustainable approach to bike parking given the challenges at these locations, and it is more affordable than replacing the pavement at each location. A rack unit can also be placed on permeable pavement, or even in a gravel/grass location temporarily as needed.  The lifespan of a bike rack unit is significantly higher, and offers much greater flexibility for placement and upkeep of the racks and surrounding landscape. Due to a potential increased initial cost of the racks on rails configuration (if this is what is determined to be the approved configuration), I may be requesting approval to change the scope of the project.  A change of scope is necessary because fewer total bike parking loops may be possible when on racks. Once we have identified a configuration that meets the best need of the users, we will be ready to proceed with the project and do not expect any further delays, but getting to this point has taken longer than originally expected. We anticipate being finished with the installation of these racks before the beginning of the fall semester 2014. Please let me know whether this change in the scope of the project is acceptable to the SSC.  I will keep you informed on the status and look forward to working with you on the best solution for our campus. Facilities & Services is incredibly grateful to the SSC for your ongoing support for sustainable transportation initiatives on campus, and we look forward to continuing to work with you to make the campus more bike-able, walkable, and transit-friendly. If you would like more detail, please contact me.   Thank you,   Stacey DeLorenzo Design Review Coordinator Transportation Demand Management Coordinator University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Facilities Services Office: 217-300-1750 Cell: 217-722-4992        

Facilities & Services has hired Grace Kyung, a Masters of Urban Planning student to work on bicycle sharing for campus during the ‘13-’14 school year. This will be a 25% assistantship, focusing primarily on departmental bike sharing first, and then on bike rentals and a campus-wide bike share program for the general public.  Funding for this GRA position is being provided by Administrative Information Technology Services (AITS).

Position Description:

The Bicycle Sharing Graduate Research Assistant will work with the Campus Bicycle Coordinator under Facilities & Services to research and facilitate new bicycle sharing opportunities for the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The RA will research bicycle sharing best practices at peer institutions and communities around the United States, and will make recommendations based on this research to follow the existing recommendations of the 2012 Bicycle Sharing Feasibility Study. The RA will be the primary point of contact for departments interested in launching their own departmental bicycle sharing programs for university employees, including a small number of departments who have agreed to pilot such programs in the coming year. The RA will also develop and maintain a Bicycle Sharing Manual and Toolkit to help assist additional interested departments in the future. The RA will conduct research to determine the best solution for bike sharing or rentals for students and visitors on campus, by partnering with a variety of campus units and community agencies. 

This semester there are 7 students registered for the LINC UI Bikes Section  and 2 project managers. Their main project involves thinking of innovative and creative ideas for increasing the number of registered bikes on campus. Their goal consists of registering 3,000 bikes by the end of the semester!    

Rachna Bhatia reached out to the Campus Bicycle Shop Manager, James Roedl to discussion potential collaboration between The Bike Project of Urbana-Champaign and the Action Researcy Illinois.  She noted that their second outreach is the first weekend of November, they have started formulating projects, and she thought this could be a good addition.
 

Hi Jim and Morgan,

Can this project be funded in total by the Students for Sustainability grant?  If not, there is insufficient support at this time from the Library to assist in funding the initiative. 

Thanks

Jeff

From: Lev, James R
Sent: Wednesday, September 04, 2013 4:24 PM
To: Slater, Robert; Johnston, Morgan B; Schrader, Jeffrey M
Cc: Neptune, Amelia
Subject: RE: FACILITIES NOTICE: Bicycle Thefts Across Campus - REMINDER

Thanks

The proposal raises some questions.  Some practical, some policy. 

We will meet with Amelia and  she can do a little research for us.   

Jim

James R. Lev AIA
Architect, Capital Planning

University of Illinois
Planning Division, Facilities & Services
1501 South Oak Street, 115B PPSB MC-800
Champaign, Illinois 61820

(217) 244-5095, fax (217) 244-5775
Email: jrlev@illinois.edu
url: www.fs.uiuc.edu

From: Slater, Robert
Sent: Wednesday, September 04, 2013 2:00 PM
To: Johnston, Morgan B; Schrader, Jeffrey M
Cc: Neptune, Amelia; Lev, James R
Subject: RE: FACILITIES NOTICE: Bicycle Thefts Across Campus - REMINDER

Thanks Morgan.

I was curious about how much these cost, so I checked with one of the companies that seems to be used by several other Universities and major public venues around the country (although there are two other companies that also seem popular I didn’t check with them for comparative quotes, since this was very preliminary research). I worked with Brittany Chavez (turtle.storage.ltd@gmail.com) from the American Bicycle Security Company and she provided the attached quote for a trial size set (25 units) which runs about $40,000 (including delivery) and, I’m spitballing here, but I’m guessing another $5,000-$10,000 in local labor to have them installed, so about $50,000 ($2,000/unit) complete.

This include some local customization (orange/blue theme, i-mark on the front door).

-Robert

From: Johnston, Morgan B
Sent: Wednesday, September 04, 2013 1:52 PM
To: Schrader, Jeffrey M; Slater, Robert
Cc: Neptune, Amelia; Lev, James R
Subject: RE: FACILITIES NOTICE: Bicycle Thefts Across Campus - REMINDER

Hi Robert and Jeff,

The appropriate approval for a bike locker would come from the Architecture Review Committee (ARC).  Jim Lev, copied here, is the chair of that committee.  I always start with them for proposed changes to the exterior campus space. 

I’ve also copied Amelia Neptune here, as the Campus Bicycle Coordinator in my office.  She would be a good reference for understanding the preferences of cyclists around campus, if you would like that input.

Please keep me informed about any decisions to put in bike lockers.  It is one of the items that we get asked about and I’d like to know if you do end up getting some installed.

Thanks a ton,

Morgan

From: Schrader, Jeffrey M
Sent: Wednesday, September 04, 2013 1:10 PM
To: Slater, Robert
Cc: Johnston, Morgan B
Subject: RE: FACILITIES NOTICE: Bicycle Thefts Across Campus - REMINDER

Hi Robert,

Morgan Johnston would be the Campus contact.  I will let her answer your questions.

Thanks

Jeff

From: Slater, Robert
Sent: Wednesday, September 04, 2013 11:30 AM
To: Schrader, Jeffrey M
Subject: RE: FACILITIES NOTICE: Bicycle Thefts Across Campus - REMINDER

Hey Jeff,

I finally got a quote back from those bicycle locker companies. They run about $1500-$2000 a piece (unless you are ordering a ton, in which case the offer a per unit discount). What campus entity makes the decision on what bike racks are purchased and where they are installed? Does each college/unit decide for the area around their building? On their own or with the blessing of campus facilities?

From: University of Illinois Library News [mailto:LIBNEWS-L@LISTSERV.ILLINOIS.EDU] On Behalf Of Schrader, Jeffrey M
Sent: Wednesday, September 4, 2013 11:19 AM
To: LIBNEWS-L@LISTSERV.ILLINOIS.EDU
Subject: Re: FACILITIES NOTICE: Bicycle Thefts Across Campus - REMINDER

The bicycle thefts across Campus continue.  Please review the Libnews message below sent in July 2013.

Also, please remember bicycles are not allowed in Campus Buildings.

Campus Policy

http://admin.illinois.edu/policy/code/article2_part6_2-601.html

Library Policy

The Library policy is in the patron policy section under Use of Bicycle and Laptop Locks:

http://www.library.illinois.edu/administration/services/policies/patron_conduct.html

Thank you

Jeff Schrader

From: Schrader, Jeffrey M
Sent: Monday, July 22, 2013 10:20 AM
To: LIBNEWS-L@LISTSERV.ILLINOIS.EDU
Subject: FACILITIES NOTICE: Bicycle Thefts Across Campus

FACILITIES NOTICE:

Bicycle Thefts Across Campus

There has been an increase in bicycle thefts in north and central campus areas over the past few months.  The four most recent have involved security cables being cut.  Individuals may wish to purchase locks that cannot be cut.

Local retailers:

http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_query=Bicycle+Locks&adid=22222222220202382092&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=e&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=30634785836&wl4=&veh=sem

http://www.target.com/s?searchTerm=bike+locks&category=0%7CAll%7Cmatchallpartial%7Call+categories&lnk=snav_sbox_bike+locks

http://www.meijer.com/catalog/search_command.cmd?keyword=bike+locks

Jeff Schrader