If you’d leave it… lock it.
In the Netherlands, they produce bicycles like they are breeding rabbits. In 2009 the Dutch population was recorded at 16 million … the bicycles.. 18 million.
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In Amsterdam alone, the population is at 750,000… bicycles….600,000. There are about 150,000 bikes stolen every year in Amsterdam. That explains the difference.
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More than half of these bicycles are stolen right in front of the owners’ houses.
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The rest are stolen from the streets or parking stands on train stations….
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sports and entertainment centers, shopping areas and the like.
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Bike theft in Amsterdam is a common occurrence, but it could be avoided. Just bear in mind the dictum : “If you’d leave it, lock it.”
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Be that as it may, the kind of lock also spells the difference. Opt for the big chains.
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Have a “wheel lock” installed also at the back….that doubles the security. Most bike shops have it for sale and they could install it too, for a minimum charge.
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You are very lucky if you find your bike still standing there the next day.
“Oh, there you are bike! …now if only I could find my keys…”
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You are still lucky if you find most of your bike standing there on the second day.
“Damn! What happened here? Who the hell did this to you?”
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You are half lucky if you find at least half of your bike kneeling there on the 3rd day.
“WTF !?!…sun of a beach! …arrrrrrrrrgh!”
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You doubt if you are still lucky to find what was left of your bike on the 4th day.
“I can’t believe this… this is not happening!”
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On the fifth day, you would have learned that you should have not left your bike there at all… for five days.
“OMG…Oh, no!… I’m so freaking stupid!”
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There are about 150,000 bikes stolen every year in Amsterdam… 25% percent are caused by carelessness…75% are caused by stupidity.
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Love your blog! I’ve been in Amsterdam for a year and have been fortunate enough to have my bike stolen..yet. I’ll take your advice though! I also started a biker series for Amsterdam if you are interested!
.-= muntthee´s last blog ..She & Him May 6 at Melkweg =-.
Hi Mizdi, thanks for another fun and informative post!
I have a question – are bikes typically insured? A co-worker in Germany once talked about his bike being stolen and collecting insurance money. After reading your post I am curious as to if insurance is common or cost effective?
Thanks again and take care.
Hi Panor,
No, not here in Amsterdam nor the Netherlands for that matter not when u own an ordinary bike (which is 90% of the population). It is not practical coz the cost of insurance is far greater than buying another bike. Besides, it is not required by law unlike owning a car or a motorcycle. Here you can buy a new bike for as low as 130 euros and the 2nd hand for as low as 20 euros.
Some people do get insurance for their 2000 euros priced bike (usually sports bikes) but that is more of the exception rather than the rule.
Thanks for stopping by,
mizdi
Jan,
A huge number of bikes wind up in the canals in Amsterdam, too. I happened to be “fortunate” enough to watch one of the canal cleaning barges pulling things up from the Lijnsbaangracht (near the Rijksmuseum) and they brought up at least 4 bikes per scoop. I think they later printed in the papers that they’d pulled up something like 250 bikes per kilometer of canal.
@Mizdi Yes, you’ve pretty much got the story straight. The hubby rode his bike for about a month, I think, before finally deciding that taking the bus to a station further away was going to be less frustrating.
If we ever move back to a rural area of NL, we’ll get a car. Neither of us had a dutch driver’s license while living there, so that wasn’t an option at the time.
Hey Kathy,
Bikes scooped out of the canals…very interesting. I didn’t know that
…blimey, where was I? sure hope i could be a fortunate witness as well. Got to keep my eyes and ears open and my camera ready.
Thanks for the info.
Cheers!
Looks like everyone has a bike in Netherlands so why the bike thefts? That’s a bit puzzling to me.
.-= jan geronimo´s last blog ..Here’s Why I Unfriended Darren Rowse in Facebook =-.
Hi Jan,
Good to see u!
Why the bike theft? It is not uncommon here to buy second hand bikes, even from reputable bike shops, nor to buy directly from anyone who offers a second hand bike at a fraction of the price of a new one.
Thieves could easily pass them as their own. They could also repaint it or change accessories to avoid detection from the real owners. The point is, since bike safety is never ensured but a bike is still a necessity, most people especially those who had to leave their bikes somewhere outside while they do their business inside, prefer to buy a cheap one (stolen or not… usually the buyer doesn’t even bother to ask for proof of ownership anyway). If they lose it, its not too depressing and they could always buy another cheap one. So the cycle goes on… As long as there are unsuspecting buyers of stolen bikes or bike parts…. there would be thieves.
Hi Kathy,
So as I understand your husband cycled from your home at Langedijk which is a gemeente (municipality) of Heerhugowaard to the main train station.
He left his bike there (probably tied to one of those bike stands provided for train commuters) and rode the train to reach Alkmaar (I suppose) twice. And in those two occasions, there were instances of bike part theft.
So to avoid the recurrence, he leaves your bike at home and rides the bus instead which is another way to reach Alkmaar.
I had lived in Hoorn which is not far from Heerhugowaard and Alkmaar and I had been to both places as well, so i understand very well what u were trying to convey.
(I am actually trying to explain to my readers, who come mostly from the US and other parts of the world, but have only a vague idea of how we go about traveling by bike around here.
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I had a folding bike which traveled with me when I take the train, to ensure it would be safe besides having a ready means of transport when I get off.
Thanks for visiting again, am so glad u are becoming a regular.
Have a nice day!
-mizdi
Ah, memories.
When we first moved from Amsterdam to the Wilds of Noord-Scharwoude, my husband biked to the train station at Heerhugowaard. First day, his headlight was stolen. A week later, someone took the saddle because they couldn’t open the three chains he’d locked the bike with. We could tell someone had tried because of new scratches and dents on the bike.
His method of avoiding bike (part) theft… take the bus to Alkmaar Station and leave the bike locked in our shed.
We rode our bikes all around Langedijk, though and never had any problem with theft.