Bike thefts are on the rise in Montreal. Here are some ways to break the cycle

Susheel Anugu really thought he'd covered all the bases. 

With four types of protections for his bike — a heavy duty lock for the frame, two alarm systems and pinhead locks for his wheels — he never thought he'd become a victim of what has become almost a rite of passage in Montreal:

If you have a nice bike, at one point or another, someone will likely try to steal it. In Anugu's case, they succeeded. 

His bike was stolen last week from his work compound after he'd forgotten to lock the frame for the first time, he says, in the four months since he's been living in Montreal and commuting to work. 

"I felt so bad on that day, I was not even able to eat anything," he said. 

Anugu says he filed a police report for the $1,500 bike, but the officer told him not to hold his breath. 

"He was literally saying to me like, there's no point in complaining to the police, like police won't do an investigation on any of the bike reports," Anugu said. 

His experience isn't an uncommon one. Montreal police say the number of bike thefts reported in the city increased dramatically after the pandemic, and there's no sign of the trend slowing down. 

So far this year, according to data from the Service de police de la ville de Montréal (SPVM), 1,348 bikes were reported stolen between Jan. 1 and July 31 — almost as many as the same time last year. 

By 2023, the total number of reported bicycle thefts had risen to 3,147, marking an 18 per cent increase from 2022's total of 2,656 and a 50 per cent rise from 2020's total of 2,093.

And the numbers don't even show the whole picture, says Vélo Québec's program director Magali Bebronne. 

"Many people don't report their bike stolen, thinking it's pointless," she said. 

Anti-theft app

Vélo Québec and Montreal police are recommending that cyclists register their bikes on the anti-theft app Garage 529.

This platform, with which the SPVM has been collaborating since 2021, lets you register your bike with a serial number and photos. Owners can then obtain a sticker to indicate that their bike has been registered, which can be a deterrent for thieves. 

Since first launching in Vancouver, that city reported an enormous drop in the number of bikes stolen — from 4,000 in 2015 to 1,300 last year. 

According to data provided by Garage 529, 25,000 bicycles have been registered in Montreal since 2021. Of those, 2,000 have been reported stolen and 200 returned to their owners.

But despite already being registered with the app and his other precautions, Anugu's bike was still stolen.

Better locks, facilities

Vélo Québec CEO Jean-Francois Rheault says the demand for bikes has become greater and greater over the past few years, so thieves are more interested in stealing them.

He says the best way to keep your bike from getting stolen is to invest in a good lock — ideally one with a price point beginning at $100 — or even combining two different types of locks. 

"And we see lots of cyclists that are using trackers like Airtags and other types of trackers that allow them to track their bikes when they are missing," he said. 

Rheault also suggests employers and the city of Montreal invest in protected bicycle facilities, such as garages, so people know they have somewhere safe to store their ride. 

"The fear of having your bicycle stolen is also a factor," he said. "If people are going somewhere and they know they're not going to have a secure place to lock their bike, then they might not do that bike trip."

As for Anugu, he says he'll probably get another bike, having lost hope that he'll ever recover his. But he doesn't know how long this one will last. 

"No matter how much security we have, Montreal is Montreal. The bikes keep on going," he said.