He cut the tether wire from the restraint to remove a table from Percy's sidewalk cafe... he then placed it under the alternate side parking sign ... and climbed up to remove the street sign...
... the man then lifted the bike over the pole and calmly walked away...
Watson cautions anyone from locking their bike to this sign... "as it has been prepped for the right bike to be tied to it."
Here's a Google Street View showing the sign... and bike attached to the pole...
Updated:
Police have made an arrest in this theft.
Welcome to rip off city, East Village NYC. Bummer, say bye bye to your dignity, money, and sense of history.
ReplyDeleteSeems like a lot of work for such a crummy bike.
ReplyDeletePS This is a perfect example of why you shouldn't leave your laptops on the table at Starbucks while you hit the loo and why muppets with sentimental value shouldn't be left on the curb. People steal shit.
ReplyDeleteQuite aside from inviting theft, if you don't secure at least one of your wheels to your frame when you lock up (as this owner obviously did not), your bike will eventually roll and fall on its side. I don't know why this bothers me so much -- maybe because even if I right a fallen bike on the sidewalk so that it doesn't look like it's abandoned and pedestrians step on the wheels, I know that it'll just roll and fall again. It completely frustrates any effort to be helpful. Oddly but genuinely infuriating.
ReplyDeleteHistory of e v is all about rip-offs! There used to be an open thieves bazaar in the park next to crystie st years back.
ReplyDeleteI don't see a man I see a parasite.
ReplyDelete@Anon 9:00 - And let's not forget the giant Thieve's Market that flourished on the west side of Second Avenue between St. Mark's and about 5th Street in the late '7s - early 80s. It was the reality at the time that when you got ripped off you just went over there and bought your stuff back.
ReplyDeleteThis is why we need more bike racks! Bloomberg prefers that people pay to park their rental Citibikes instead of providing free bike racks for the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very old trick, some of the bike thieves set up these poles in advance by removing the sign first then they just wait for a nice bike to come along before pushing it over the top. Some of them pull a loose pole out of the ground and then reset it, so all they have to do is lift the pole up to steal your bike.
So always make sure the parking sign is still in place and the pole is secure to the ground before locking up, even though the sign didnt stop this creative guy. The best solution is to use a bike rack, but since none are available on most blocks, lock the wheels, preferably both, even a small lock on the second wheel will deter most thieves since it slows them down.
Haha, 11:38AM.
ReplyDeleteI'm just surprised no one saw this/reported this to the police while it happened. Tell me it ain't so!
No, Anon 11:38, to reduce neighborhood crime one does not have to remove the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteHere's a snippet from a songwriter you may never have heard of that might clarify this for you a bit:
Yes, as through this world I've wandered
I've seen lots of funny men;
Some will rob you with a six-gun,
And some with a fountain pen.
And as through your life you travel,
Yes, as through your life you roam,
You won't never see an outlaw
Drive a family from their home.
Actually someone should mention to the sidewalk café owner that it is against the rules for them to leave their tables and fencing on the street when the restaurant is closed.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 1:33,
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you tell the owners? Why should someone else do it?
@Gojira
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDss8V2OME4
yes someone shoulda coulda woulda tell those owners, yes there are parasites big and small. the small ones will steal your bike but the big ones will pull a bank bail-in soon but at least their shoes are shiney. don't feel bad about it, just go stare at the rite aid mural, those butterflies... ahhh the butterflies!
ReplyDelete@Scott - Wow, thanks! Not sure which I enjoyed more, the shots of the Market or the all-too-briefs views of the old Kiev sign and interior!
ReplyDeleteMaye be it's his bike and he lost his lock keys and must have that 7-11 taquitos badly.
ReplyDeleteShaking My Damn Head.
it would be great to set up this 'thieve's bazaar/market' again. can we get someone on the CB3 to head this? Heritage/history/preservation
ReplyDeleteWELCOME TO THE "LOWER EAST SIDE" AKA WILD, WILD LOWER EAST!!!...LMFAO
ReplyDelete@Gojira - Welcome! Thanks to that video I know to check St. Mark's and 2nd if I ever lose my penis.
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ReplyDelete