By now, you know that the Netherlands is home to millions of bicycles. Interestingly, while the Netherlands is one of the safest country in the world for humans, it struggles with bike safety.
I learned about the need for protection against bike theft. Hundreds of thousands of bikes are stolen each year. Over three hundred are stolen each day! These bikes are stolen by professional thieves who often resell the vehicles to make money. Bikes are stolen around people’s homes, outside of grocery stores and in city centers.
This community nodig hebben (“need”) exists because of the abundance of bikes. The fact that there are so many bicycles makes them difficult to track. Once the thieves successfully free a bike from its locks, it is essentially untraceable! Only 7% of stolen bikes are ever recovered and returned to their owner.
This need is not being 100% met. As of now, no one has found the ideal solution! However, there are strategies in place to minimize theft as much as possible. For example, if you have a bike receipt, you can approach the police and add your bike to the stolen bike registry. Some cities also offer engraving services so you can get a serial number carved into your bike.
