Good Samaritan's bike stolen while helping motorist
01-01-09, 01:02 PM
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Good Samaritan's bike stolen while helping motorist
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/communit...,1793855.story
Thought this was amusing and I guess A&S is the most appropriate place. I'm shocked - SHOCKED - that a politician enacted a regulation that he himself did not follow.
South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
While former city commissioner tried to help others, a thief took his bike
December 31, 2008
FORT LAUDERDALE
Being a good Samaritan can come at a price.
Just ask former City Commissioner Tim Smith, who witnessed a traffic accident as he was cycling to the beach Monday. He said he left his bike on the sidewalk in the 1300 block of Sunrise Boulevard to rush to the cars involved, one of which had rear-ended the other.
Finding both drivers uninjured, Smith prepared to leave — but when he went to retrieve his bike, it was gone.
"I was just amazed," Smith said with a chuckle.
You see, it's not just that his bike, a gift from his wife, was stolen. During back-to-back terms as city commissioner, Smith successfully pushed for a citywide bike registration program to help police track stolen bikes.
When Smith contacted police Monday, though, about his vanished bike, he had to sheepishly admit it was unregistered.
— Sofia Santana
Copyright © 2008, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
While former city commissioner tried to help others, a thief took his bike
December 31, 2008
FORT LAUDERDALE
Being a good Samaritan can come at a price.
Just ask former City Commissioner Tim Smith, who witnessed a traffic accident as he was cycling to the beach Monday. He said he left his bike on the sidewalk in the 1300 block of Sunrise Boulevard to rush to the cars involved, one of which had rear-ended the other.
Finding both drivers uninjured, Smith prepared to leave — but when he went to retrieve his bike, it was gone.
"I was just amazed," Smith said with a chuckle.
You see, it's not just that his bike, a gift from his wife, was stolen. During back-to-back terms as city commissioner, Smith successfully pushed for a citywide bike registration program to help police track stolen bikes.
When Smith contacted police Monday, though, about his vanished bike, he had to sheepishly admit it was unregistered.
— Sofia Santana
Copyright © 2008, South Florida Sun-Sentinel
01-01-09, 01:42 PM
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Is said bike registration program in Ft. Lauderdale mandatory?
EDIT:
Apparently so (https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&c...on&btnG=Search). I shed no tears for him.
-Kurt
EDIT:
Apparently so (https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&c...on&btnG=Search). I shed no tears for him.
-Kurt
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01-01-09, 05:30 PM
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It was his Karma that got him.
Hopefully, Karma will get the bike thief as well.
I lock my bike even when stopping to help someone, unless I am standing next to it the entire time.
Hopefully, Karma will get the bike thief as well.
I lock my bike even when stopping to help someone, unless I am standing next to it the entire time.
01-02-09, 12:14 AM
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This story made me laugh for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the irony. Politicians and thieves have a lot in common...
Although I do give props for the guy stopping to check on the accident victims.
Although I do give props for the guy stopping to check on the accident victims.
01-02-09, 09:24 AM
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You know, as much as I hope that they do catch the thief, I would rather see that the bike itself vanish forever. Adequate punishment for a lawmaker that saw it fit to mandate a method of extracting money from cyclists for licensing while making it legal to confiscate unlicensed bikes for future sale at auction.
Come to think of it, for all anyone might know, a Ft. Lauderdale officer might have impounded the "apparently" abandoned bike
That said, if a cyclist wishes to register his bike - let that be his/her choice. If one does not register it, one accepts the risk; if one does register it, they do it voluntarily. Secondly, there is such a thing called a "serial number" that does the same job as the decal, and unlike the decal, the serial cannot be peeled off (not unless it's an '80s Peugeot, anyway). Otherwise, the government should just as well get the ---- out of others' business in this particular respect.
-Kurt
Come to think of it, for all anyone might know, a Ft. Lauderdale officer might have impounded the "apparently" abandoned bike
That said, if a cyclist wishes to register his bike - let that be his/her choice. If one does not register it, one accepts the risk; if one does register it, they do it voluntarily. Secondly, there is such a thing called a "serial number" that does the same job as the decal, and unlike the decal, the serial cannot be peeled off (not unless it's an '80s Peugeot, anyway). Otherwise, the government should just as well get the ---- out of others' business in this particular respect.
-Kurt
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Last edited by cudak888; 01-02-09 at 12:50 PM.
01-02-09, 04:01 PM
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01-02-09, 07:14 PM
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01-02-09, 09:41 PM
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01-02-09, 11:02 PM
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Ridiculous method. Nothing prevents Trek from putting it under the clearcoat.
-Kurt
-Kurt
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Last edited by cudak888; 01-03-09 at 12:55 AM.
01-03-09, 01:25 AM
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01-03-09, 02:16 AM
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if the decal is removed, the bike is stolen. Fairly simple I'd say. Actually, I made the first bike I registered and I didn't put a serial number on it. Fortunately my work had a set of number stamps. My current racing bike has the frame size stamped on it and nothing else. I made my tandem frame, and it has no serial number. I really need to get some number stamps.
01-03-09, 10:37 AM
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So if the bike changes hands, and the new owner removes the sticker, he is a felon in the eyes of the law? What if the adhesive fails due to bad application? And for that matter, if the decal is removed and the PD department uses the serial on the sticker - not the one stamped on the frame - to ID the bike, how is it going to be ID'd? Sorry - whether this is the case or not (I don't know enough about the Ft. Lauderdale law to assume your statement is factual), that is a flawed law.
Do we even know whether the Ft. Lauderdale stickers have serial numbers of their own on them, or whether they're simply a "deterrent" sticker (expected to be similar in function to a Bait Bike sticker)? Case in point, Miami-Dade's system is simply a sticker on the seattube, nothing else - I believe the bicycle's actual serial # is used as the identifying feature.
-Kurt
Do we even know whether the Ft. Lauderdale stickers have serial numbers of their own on them, or whether they're simply a "deterrent" sticker (expected to be similar in function to a Bait Bike sticker)? Case in point, Miami-Dade's system is simply a sticker on the seattube, nothing else - I believe the bicycle's actual serial # is used as the identifying feature.
-Kurt
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