Originally Posted by joejack951
I don't know what that system would cost, but would it possibly be cheaper for the city to provide more secure bicycle storage at a cheaper cost? Even if the cost was higher, it should be just an initial hit and then very little maintenance as opposed to the tracking system.
I bring this up because I would LOVE for just one store in my area to offer a decent place to lock a bike. Even the LBS doesn't have a bike rack of any kind (they do let me bring my bike inside though).
Most areas in Toronto are well supplied with good locking posts, I must admit. It's difficult to find a commercial or business street without a long stretch of well-maintained locks. While some bikes are likely stolen from these areas in spite of the diligence of the owner to lock his/her bike, I think it's more likely that folks have them stolen from their private proerty late at night. I had a locked-up bike on my rear portch five years ago that was swiped. Downtown Toronto features hundreds of thousands small homes where a bike inside would be very obtrusive and it seems almost everyone has a bike locked up to their portch, fence, railing, etc., if not inside their garages (if they have one). Any thief just has to have the proper tools and cruise through any downtown neighbourhood for a night an pick up as many bikes as he can.