Originally Posted by
Leisesturm
I find your opinion a little ironic in light of the fact that in NYC if a bicycle is not locked to an approved rack the police can, and do, impound it. And leaned against a wall or tree? You're either running without a lock or using a cable lock. In NYC a decent enough bike secured with only a cable lock... ... I never lost a bike that way, but I know people who have. Here in Portland bike racks are ubiquitous. I am annoyed when people use them as dog ties but not inconvenienced. There will be another rack at the same facility. Possibly several racks, each with at least four bike spaces. Thing is people actually USE bike racks here. There are thousands and thousands of bikes here. A four space bike rack can have eight bikes on it in places.
First off, I don't live in NYC, I live in the northern burbs. Secondly when I'm in the city, I do use racks where they exist (they are not everywhere), and IME the police do not cut locks and impound bikes unless they are locked in such a way as to create a nuisance, ie. blocking doorways or sidewalks.
Lastly, Yes, I do carry a light lock most of the time, and only use a U-lock if heading to NYC and expecting that I'll need to lock out of sight. In my almost 50 year cycling career I've never had a bike stolen, though I've had locks twice, in both cases to get my bike out of the way so they could steal the one behind it.