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Vancouver police release listing of bike theft hot spots in 2016

Granville Island and Olympic Village, police say, are the worst places in Vancouver to leave your wheels

Bike theft
Bike theft can be a problem in Vancouver. (Photo Credit: roland via Compfight cc )

There is no denying that the coastal beauty, the hard climbs, the long, sloping grades, the bike scene and the thriving networks of cycling infrastructure in Vancouver make the city a haven for riders. As appealing as it is to cyclists, though, the same appeal makes bike theft in Lotus Land a very real, very immediate threat.

According to Vancouver police, Metro News recently reported, around 2,000 bikes are stolen each year in the city. Compared to past numbers, that’s a decrease on the order of 38 per cent. While the decline in numbers is no doubt encouraging, 2,000 stolen bikes is still, of course, 2,000 stolen bikes, and Vancouver police are encouraging riders to remain vigilant when locking up their steeds. Most of 2016’s stolen bikes, police say, were nabbed in and around the area of Granville Island, as well as in the vicinity of Athletes Way in Olympic Village.

But there are other locations to watch out for. In partnership with Metro News, Vancouver police have compiled a listing of hot spots city-wide targeted by bike thieves:

Olympic Village (0 Athletes Way) – 29 bikes stolen in 2016
Granville Island (1600 Johnston St.) – 27
Granville Island (1400 Anderson St.) – 24
Burrard and Smithe (900 Burrard St.) – 20
Science World (1400 Quebec St.) –20
Vancouver Technical Secondary (2600 E Broadway Ave.) – 18
Pender in Chinatown (0 W Pender St.) – 18
South False Creek Seawall (600 Stamps Land) – 16
Sunset Beach (1700 Beach Ave.) – 16
Templeton Park (700 Templeton Dr.) – 13
Vancouver Public Library (300 W Georgia St.) – 11
Keefer in Chinatown (100 Keefer St.) – 11