Patrick Breig/iStock
READ MORE ABOUT:
Just when a Paris bike sharing company, Velib, is trying to do something good by installing an efficient bike rental system in the city, it seems as though a lot of people just aren't getting it. Thanks to bike thieves, the company has lost over half of the 15,000 bikes originally disbursed through the program. Considering New York City has been carefully watching this program in Paris as a potential model for the Big Apple, I find it particularly sad that bike theft is such a problem. Sure, programs like Velib make bike theft ridiculously easy since the bikes are being lent to the thieves initially, but all and all, the facts are obvious: there are people out there who want your bike!
If you get your bike stolen and have to go out and purchase a new one, well, there's nothing eco-friendly about that.
Do what you can to help your bike from being stolen. Lock it up! Invest in a sturdy lock and chain for your bike and always keep it locked—even when you're just 'running in for a minute'.
Maybe a program like Velib can one day be successful if bike thieves everywhere start learning that they need to buy their own bikes—and the first step toward that is making theft as difficult as we can.
More on being green with bikes:
How To Get Bike Lanes In Your Town
Hardcourt Bike Polo: A Green Sport You Can Support
