Bicycles are the transportation of choice on campus for many WUSTL students, faculty and staff. But keeping those bikes secure on and off campus will help ensure a bike doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, said WUSTL Police Sergeant Mark Glenn.
The best way to keep a bike from being stolen is to lock it, and the stronger the lock, the more secure the bike, Glenn said.
The University Police Department on the South 40 sells the Kryptonite Kryptolok, a U-style lock, to WUSTL students, faculty and staff members for $20. Glenn said WUSTL Police recommend the hardened-steel Kryptolok because it cannot be pried open or cut easily.
“With many bikes that are stolen, there either was no lock or an inferior-made cable lock,” Glenn said. “Using a steel U-lock-style lock prevents people from pulling the lock apart.”
What a bike is locked to is just as important as the lock itself, Glenn said.
“The safest place to lock a bike is from its frame to a secure structure, like a bike rack,” he said.
Bikes locked to short poles can be lifted and carried away. Immature trees can be snapped or cut. Bikes locked at the wheel can be taken if the wheel is released.
Bike racks are installed at numerous locations around campus, Glenn said, and the University constantly evaluates where additional racks should be installed.
For more information about keeping bikes secure on campus, contact Glenn at mark_glenn@wustl.edu or 935-5084.