Depending on the study you look at, San Francisco is often considered one the nation’s most bike friendly cities, more so than Boston. From infrastructure improvements to security measures, the initiatives undertaken by both cities are helping push them to the top of the list when it comes to accommodating cyclists. San Francisco, though, is taking a slier approach to combating bike theft, employing a technique that’s come to be known as “bait bikes.”

Bait bikes are essentially as they sound – a bike that appears easy to steal but is outfitted with a GPS-tracker so San Francisco police can catch bike thieves in the act. And while a proactive crackdown on bike thefts may sound appealing in theory, they’re not exactly popular with everyone.

According to SFGate, the flip side to bait bikes is that they unfairly entrap those most susceptible to thievishness – more specifically those living in economic hardship. “The program exacerbates the same class divide embodied by Google buses and Mission gentrification,” contends an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina.

The San Francisco PD argues that because bike theft has skyrocketed 70 percent over the past five years (equating to some $4.6 million in losses each year), and because the bikes are locked and subsequently broken into by the assailant, the initiative is perfectly lawful.

BostInno reached out to the Boston Police Department to gauge what kind of techniques they employ to combat bike thefts and if they’d be willing to comment on bait bikes.

Sergeant Mike McCarthy, BPD spokesperson, told BostInno in an email that it wouldn’t be appropriate for the BPD comment on the matter as they do not run their own bait bike program. Given that, comparing bike theft data, as well as recovery statistics, aren’t exactly translatable.

We then turned to social media and a few local cycling organizations to see if their sentiments echo those in opposition to bait bikes. One of them, the Boston Cyclists Union, is in favor of protecting all peoples’ transportation options.

Similarly, the San Francisco police think that those who steal bikes ought to be held to the same standard as those who steal other forms of transportation, including automobiles. The argument here, of course, is that, in general, the value of a bike pales in comparison to that of a car. They feel, however, that the same swift administration of justice should be rendered. According to the New York Times, though, bait bikes are of higher value than our typical two-wheelers and therefore subject the bandit to a felony charge.

In many respects, comparing bike thefts in San Francisco and Boston is apples oranges.
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