Have you ever experienced that sinking feeling when you disembark BART only to find an empty rack where your bike used to be?
It's a common experience in Berkeley, according to BART crime data analysed by California Watch. Reported bike thefts at Ashby and North Berkeley BART stations numbered 306 between 2006 and October 2011.
Berkeley stations account for almost 12 percent of the 2,613 bike thefts across the entire BART system — meaning cyclists are more likely to have their bikes stolen in Berkeley than at any BART station in Oakland. Stations in Walnut Creek topped the list for the number of bicycles reported stolen, with 17 percent of total system thefts.
Ashby was the biggest offender of the three BART stations in Berkeley, with 164 thefts at BART. North Berkeley BART station saw 142. The safest station for leaving your bicycles was Downtown Berkeley, were only 37 thefts were reported.
Have you had a bike stolen from a Berkeley BART station? Share your story in the comments, and let us know what improvements you think can be made to help protect bicycles.
