Author Topic: Shopping center cutting bikes locked up free and stealing them in my city . . .  (Read 7659 times)

GuitarStv

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sheepstache

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Public property is an idea of the past, apparently.

gimp

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Transportation is sacred. Car, bike, or other, you don't fuck with a person's transportation. That deserves getting kneecapped.

GuitarStv

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Can't help but think that if a shopping center was towing away people's cars parked legally on the street without notice and keeping them that there would be larger public outcry.

Cheddar Stacker

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They don't sell bikes at that shopping center do they? If so, I guess I could see why they might be motivated to make a few bikes disappear.

This makes we want to drive to Canada, get some crappy old bikes, and lock them all around this building with the strongest locks available. Do they sell locks that shock you if you don't use the key?

ETA: Someone should invent bike alarms, just like car alarms. Maybe it can be a computerized voice shouting nasty stuff at the perpetrator.
« Last Edit: August 14, 2014, 02:14:13 PM by Cheddar Stacker »

dycker1978

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http://www.blogto.com/city/2014/08/hudsons_bay_centre_confiscating_legally_parked_bikes/

Words do not describe the rage I feel towards these dicks.

Does this have anything to do with your lovely Mayor, Mr. Ford... LOL

They don't sell bikes at that shopping center do they? If so, I guess I could see why they might be motivated to make a few bikes disappear.

This makes we want to drive to Canada, get some crappy old bikes, and lock them all around this building with the strongest locks available. Do they sell locks that shock you if you don't use the key?

ETA: Someone should invent bike alarms, just like car alarms. Maybe it can be a computerized voice shouting nasty stuff at the perpetrator.

Hmm Bike Alarms... as an electronics guy this may be a way to get some passive income going...  Good idea.

Cheddar Stacker

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They don't sell bikes at that shopping center do they? If so, I guess I could see why they might be motivated to make a few bikes disappear.

This makes we want to drive to Canada, get some crappy old bikes, and lock them all around this building with the strongest locks available. Do they sell locks that shock you if you don't use the key?

ETA: Someone should invent bike alarms, just like car alarms. Maybe it can be a computerized voice shouting nasty stuff at the perpetrator.

Hmm Bike Alarms... as an electronics guy this may be a way to get some passive income going...  Good idea.

Just remember your old pal Cheddar when you make it big with this idea. Royalties please. ; )

Also, I should've said ride a bike up to Canada. Damn. Missed opportunity.

No Name Guy

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Sounds like theft (the taking of the bike) and vandalism (the cutting of the lock).  I'd file a formal complaint with the police.

Then, if this were the US, I'd file a RICO (racketeer influenced and corrupt organization act) civil suit as the management of the property is clearly conspiring with their security to engage in said theft and vandalism ring.

GuitarStv

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http://www.blogto.com/city/2014/08/hudsons_bay_centre_confiscating_legally_parked_bikes/

Words do not describe the rage I feel towards these dicks.

Does this have anything to do with your lovely Mayor, Mr. Ford... LOL

At this point, it wouldn't surprise me.  Actually no terrible action linked to that name would be surprising to anyone in our city.  I didn't vote for the bastard.  :P

Alex239

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I don't see a problem here. Did she get her bike back? Why was she too lazy to use one of the many rack areas mentioned? Why was this lady being a douche by securing her bike to a pole on a very busy part of the sidewalk effectively creating a hazard? Maybe she wasn't a douche and the security people are douches. It was affixed to a public pole legeally within the amended city code but it doesn't mean the bike wasn't parked thoughtfully.

There are too many unknown factors to be "jumping all over" them for bicycle rights. How about petitioning Hudson Bay to install some classy looking racks and expand capacity on some of the unused sidewalk space.

GuitarStv

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Maybe if I gave a different perspective:

You have driven to a meeting downtown.  You park on the street in front of the building you need to go to.  When you come out, your car is gone.  You contact the police, who tell you that car theft isn't really on their radar so they won't look for your bike and you're SOL.  Later you find out that the building you parked in front of has been impounding cars from the street without notice for years.

Can you provide a single good reason for a person to cut the lock of a bike that's not on their property, then keep the bike?  Remember that in Toronto it is completely legal to chain up to streetposts, signs, whatever since there's so little readily available bike parking.  Even if the bike were locked up illegally (it wasn't), the police are the ones who are in charge of removing it.  Compound this with the fact that they've been doing this for YEARS now, and there's pretty good reason to be jumping all over the Hudson's Bay for their actions.

LalsConstant

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A bike affixed to a pole or other object that is not a work site that is oriented parrallel to the pathway or sidewalk is not reasonable to consider a safety threat.

I often see buildings that technically do have a bike rack but it is often too small, painted in neutral earth tones and hidden away behind trees a retaining wall an atrium etc.

This reminds me of the building I work at.  We have a caged off section of the parking garage with plenty of heavy duty racks inside of it.  It is quite appropriate for the facility.

But stupid people complain constantly that the general public locks their bikes up on the sidewalk when the public can't use the cage, and the only available bike rack is hidden behind a hedge at the far corner of the campus.

skyrefuge

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ETA: Someone should invent bike alarms, just like car alarms. Maybe it can be a computerized voice shouting nasty stuff at the perpetrator.

Hmm Bike Alarms... as an electronics guy this may be a way to get some passive income going...  Good idea.

You guys might be a little late to market....   https://www.google.com/search?q=bike+alarm&tbm=shop

dycker1978

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ETA: Someone should invent bike alarms, just like car alarms. Maybe it can be a computerized voice shouting nasty stuff at the perpetrator.

Hmm Bike Alarms... as an electronics guy this may be a way to get some passive income going...  Good idea.

You guys might be a little late to market....   https://www.google.com/search?q=bike+alarm&tbm=shop

Damit...

Eric

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I can't believe that the statement the company released actually said this:

Quote from: Anti-biking company full of douchebags
"It is our first and foremost responsibility to protect the health and safety of our tenants and all those that visit the building. There have been numerous instances at this location where pedestrians have tripped over or have otherwise been injured by bicycles affixed to the pole."

What a blatant lie!  I'd bet real money that they have zero recorded instances of pedestrians being injured by parked bicycles.


Do you guys have small claims court in Canada?  I'd be filing suit yesterday.

MgoSam

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If I were to cut a bike lock and take a bike that I felt was on my property and store it in my basement, I am pretty sure I would quickly get a visit from the police.

If a corporation does it, the police could care less. Absolutely pathetic.

EricL

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If I were to cut a bike lock and take a bike that I felt was on my property and store it in my basement, I am pretty sure I would quickly get a visit from the police.

If a corporation does it, the police could care less. Absolutely pathetic.

But here in America corporations are legally people.  Someday some local cop with a bad temper will arrest one.  Or at least I hope.

tomsang

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Stealing is bad:)

skyrefuge

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ha, literally less than an hour ago, a story was posted about the exact same thing happening in Chicago (except the property managers who removed the bike did leave a note in this case, and there was a warning sign in place).

The bigger difference is that the Active Transportation Alliance (local non-car advocacy group) stepped in and said "no, you dumbasses, you can't do that", citing the relevant update to the law, and the sign prohibiting bicycles was removed.  Yay Chicago! Sounds like Toronto needs its similar group to get involved!

http://chi.streetsblog.org/2014/08/15/active-trans-gets-building-to-take-down-illegal-no-bike-parking-sign/

GuitarStv

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Story update:

http://news.nationalpost.com/2014/08/16/toronto-property-company-stops-cutting-locks-and-seizing-bikes-after-cyclist-complains/

Summary:
- The property owner has said they will no longer steal bikes parked on public property.  (Yay!)
- They will now 'talk to' cyclists or put a tag on the bike that tells the owners that their legally parked bicycles are a danger. (WTF?)
- The company is now claiming that none of the head executives knew that the bike theft was going on.  (It's important to minimize culpability.)
- The bike theft policy has been in place since 2009 when Brookfield claims that a woman walked into a bike (and it became necessary for them to save all pedestrians from the unstoppable horrors of locked bicycles.)
- All stolen bikes that were being held by the Brookfield when the story broke have now been returned.  (No comment on the many other bikes that they harvested over the past five years though. . .)
- Brookfield is no longer claiming that the bikes they stole were parked on their property.  They are also no longer claiming that the bikes they stole were parked illegally.  (Yay!  Wait, so where are the charges?)

mm1970

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I don't see a problem here. Did she get her bike back? Why was she too lazy to use one of the many rack areas mentioned? Why was this lady being a douche by securing her bike to a pole on a very busy part of the sidewalk effectively creating a hazard? Maybe she wasn't a douche and the security people are douches. It was affixed to a public pole legeally within the amended city code but it doesn't mean the bike wasn't parked thoughtfully.

There are too many unknown factors to be "jumping all over" them for bicycle rights. How about petitioning Hudson Bay to install some classy looking racks and expand capacity on some of the unused sidewalk space.
You don't see the problem, when her bike was legally parked and illegally cut off? 

Did she get her bike back AND did they buy her a new lock?