The first the Port Authority can do to help combat this problem is install the correct type of bike rack for us to use. The racks currently in use are the kind where you have to chain your bike by it's tire, rather than being able to chain the bike frame directly to the rack itself. It's a bike thief's dream out there. Most of the time you can walk away with someone's bike just by taking off the tire.

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Yes the City of Jersey City should have this in place but it is the Port Authority that has juridiction over the JSQ PATH station and bus terminal.

Jersey City arrests put bike thefts in spotlight for Port Authority police

August 14, 2012, 7:23 AM
By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal

Bicycle thefts at the Journal Square PATH station are becoming ?an issue,? according to Port Authority Police, who say there were as many as five reported bike thefts or attempted bike thefts last week alone.

Port Authority Police spokesman Al Della Fave said police arrested four men last week after cops said they caught the men attempting to steal bikes from the rack near the escalators at the PATH station. There was a fifth reported possible bike theft, but police weren?t notified until two hours later, Della Fave said.

To help combat the problem, police plan to start a bike registration program that will allow bike owners to register their bikes with authorities, who will then have a record of the bicycle that would help them if it is stolen and recovered, Della Fave said.

?We?re taking it seriously,? he said.

Among those arrested this week are Miguel A. DeJesus, 43, of Union City, who cops say pulled out cable cutters to remove a bike from the rack at Journal Square; Edward L. Nettles, 36, of Jersey City, who cops say they observed attempting to cut a security cable attaching a bicycle to the rack; Javier Cartegena, 35, of Union City; and Darnell Ford, 44, of Jersey City, who cops say they saw attempting to remove a tire from a bicycle.

Della Fave noted the ages of the four men.

?These are not kids we?re talking about,? he said.

Della Fave added that, according to police reports, some of the men expressed shame when the cops nabbed them.

?Why did I do that?? Cartegena asked upon his arrest, according to Della Fave.

Brian Wagner, of Bike Hoboken, said bike riders can absolutely control whether or not their bicycles are stolen. Don?t assume a ?simple cable lock? will dissuade thieves, Wagner told The Jersey Journal.

?These would-be thieves have cutting tools,? he said. ?It?s very easy to cut some of these cable locks . . . some are so thin they?re like a wire on a lamp.?

Wagner, who has had two bikes stolen in recent years, has posted pictures of locked bikes on Bike Hoboken?s Facebook page, along with comments critiquing the owners? locking techniques.

There are a variety of ways to keep your bike from being stolen, he said, but one of the best is using a combination of a cable lock and a U- or D-shaped lock, intertwined in a way that causes a thief to move along.

?Make him look at this bike and say . . . this will take me too long,? Wagner said.

http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... y_arrests_put_bike_t.html

Basically the problem is that cyclist are happy to spend a small fortune on buying a bike, but then look for the cheapest chain or lock to secure it.
The next time you past a bike, take a look at the chain / lock and you'll see what I mean.
Why doesn't the city have permanent CCTV cameras recording on a 24 hr loop at designated bike racks. Once a bike goes missing the owner has 24 hours to contact the city or police to see which miserable ass took it.
Then again a cafe or bike shop could offer that service (without accountability) to attract customers - Maybe even a webcam that you can view via an iphone or on the internet !

#1: Get a better chain. Get a kryptonite (http://www.kryptonitelock.com)

#2: Lock your back tire and frame together

#3: Get rid of anything quick release

#4: Register with http://www.nationalbikeregistry.com/


I don't know that the hell "bike registry" the JCPD thinks they're going to start, but the national bike registry has been around for a while. Will it help that much? No not really. But if your bike gets recovered, it's a great way to prove that your bike is yours. And as it gets used more and more, cops will start checking bikes they recover.

bike registration? come on! what's that going to solve?

a sting operation where you can catch the perps in the act is the best idea!

Why not run a sting op? Chances are, some of the perps have outstanding warrants and/or links to larger crime organizations.

Bicycle thefts at the Journal Square PATH station are becoming ?an issue,? according to Port Authority Police, which says there have been as many as five reported bike thefts or attempted bike thefts this week alone.

Port Authority Police spokesman Al Della Fave said police have arrested four men this week after cops said they caught the men attempting to steal bikes from the rack near the escalators at the PATH station.

There was a fifth reported possible bike theft, but police weren?t notified until two hours later, Della Fave said.
To help combat the problem, police plan to start a bike registration program that will allow bike owners to register their bikes with authorities, who will then have a record of the bicycle that would help them if it is stolen and recovered, Della Fave said.
?We?re taking it seriously,? he said.http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... ts_at_journal_square.html