After seeing her daughter fall victim to bike theft twice in one year, a Yellowknife mother is frustrated, fed up and calling for change.
SA国际影视传媒淪omething has to be done,SA国际影视传媒� said Tammy D'Aigle.
On Sunday, an irritated DSA国际影视传媒橝igle took her concerns to social media after her daughterSA国际影视传媒檚 SA国际影视传媒渇atSA国际影视传媒� tire was stolen from her locked bike near Sutherland Drugs on Franklin Avenue a day earlier SA国际影视传媒� in broad daylight.
SA国际影视传媒淚SA国际影视传媒檓 just sick of people taking property that isnSA国际影视传媒檛 theirs,SA国际影视传媒� wrote DSA国际影视传媒橝igle on a popular community Facebook page.
ItSA国际影视传媒檚 not the first time her daughter has been a victim of bike theft. Last summer, DSA国际影视传媒橝igle told Yellowknifer, the recent high school grad, who works downtown and relies on her bicycle as a primary mode of transportation, had her bike stolen from the same area after a thief cut through its chain lock.
After appealing to social media, DSA国际影视传媒橝igle said a keen-eyed Yellowknifer spotted the bike and returned it, much to the delight of her daughter, who was SA国际影视传媒減roud of the bike she worked hard to pay for.SA国际影视传媒�
One year later, SA国际影视传媒渉ere we are again,SA国际影视传媒� said DSA国际影视传媒橝igle.
DSA国际影视传媒橝igle said her daughter now feels she's a SA国际影视传媒渢argetSA国际影视传媒漮f theft. Instead of replacing the pricey tire, DSA国际影视传媒橝igle said her daughter is mulling the idea of buying a cheaper bike instead, so she doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 have to worry about an expensive set of wheels being pilfered.
Tammy D'Aigle is fed up. After her daughter fell victim to bike theft for the second time in a year over the weekend, D'Aigle is calling on the City of Yellowknife to consider new measures, including a gated storage zone, to combat what she calls a SA国际影视传媒渃onstantSA国际影视传媒� problem of bicycle theft in the city.
But DSA国际影视传媒橝igle doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 think Yellowknifers should be forced to make similar decisions just because people choose to steal.
Instead, sheSA国际影视传媒檚 calling for action.
SA国际影视传媒淚 think itSA国际影视传媒檚 something the city should look into ... I donSA国际影视传媒檛 want my daughter to have this issue again or every season when her bike comes out,SA国际影视传媒� said DSA国际影视传媒橝igle.
To combat and prevent theft, DSA国际影视传媒橝igle said the city could consider re-purposing unused parking lots and city spaces into gated, video surveillance areas that allow Yellowknifers to safely store and secure their bikes when at work or elsewhere.
Pointing to other, albeit larger, jurisdictions like Vancouver, DSA国际影视传媒橝igle said the city could charge monthly fees to users of the protected, membership-based bike zones. Members, she said, could then access the space 24-7 with a registered fob key.
But while DSA国际影视传媒橝igle sees the problem of bike theft as an issue for city hall to tackle, others see it being more effectively addressed through private players.
SA国际影视传媒淚 have seen this system work in bigger cities, but it was offered through private companies to the people with access to their building or to their own employees,SA国际影视传媒� stated a woman SA国际影视传媒� asked not to be named SA国际影视传媒� who weighed in on DSA国际影视传媒橝igleSA国际影视传媒檚 online post.
SA国际影视传媒淚 do not think this is a city-wide option for Yellowknife, since you would have to centralize a big enough location,SA国际影视传媒� the online commentator told Yellowknifer, adding that it would be a costly undertaking.
SA国际影视传媒淭hat being said, the city could incentivize companies and buildings to give a local bike storage area for their own tenants,SA国际影视传媒� she told Yellowknifer.
Echoing D'Aigle's calls for the city to address bike thefts in new ways, Matthew Grogono SA国际影视传媒� a co-founder of the Old Town Bike Works who has long advocated for bicycle safety SA国际影视传媒� said the city needs to take note of other cities to remedy SA国际影视传媒渞ampantSA国际影视传媒� bike thefts and a lack of SA国际影视传媒渞espect for personal property,SA国际影视传媒� in the city.
Grogono said he's been encouraging the city to implement a online registry system, like one successfully adopted in Vancouver, where cyclists can add photos and serial numbers of their bikes to a database that's shared with the municipality and law enforcement.
SA国际影视传媒淭his is an election year and I fully intend to make this one of the questions to city counsellors: what are you going to do to promote bicycle safety?,SA国际影视传媒� said Grogono.
To curb SA国际影视传媒渞ampantSA国际影视传媒� bicycle theft in Yellowknife, co-founder of Old Town Bike Works Matthew Grogono says he's urging the city to adopt an online database where cyclists can share photos and serial numbers of their bikes.
According to the city, gated, paid-accessed storage areas or online databases haven't specifically been considered.
Instead, said spokesperson Iman Kassam, the city has focused more on educating kids and the general public about preventing bike theft.
Similar tips are offered by Yellowknife .
SA国际影视传媒淚 would recommend always locking your property and keeping a file that contains a photograph of your bicycle, pertinent descriptors on the bike (stickers or add-ons) and the serial number, make and model of the bike,SA国际影视传媒� stated Const. Heather Cosenzo in an email.
According to Cosenzo, 17 bikes were reported stolen between January 1 and July 15, 2017, while 29 have been nabbed during the same stretch in 2018.
Total thefts dropped from 47 recorded in 2014, to 25 in both 2015 and 2016. But last year's tally jumped to 37 stolen rides.
