Oct. 12, 2022 – For immediate release:
Mayoral Candidate Rana Bokhari says she will make bike registration free and will employ technology already in use across Canada to track stolen bicycles and reunite them with their owners.
“I don’t know a single Winnipegger who hasn’t experienced a bike theft at some point in their lifetimes, myself included,” said Rana.
“Thousands and thousands go missing every year and only a small percentage are ever recovered, never mind returned to their owners.”
The first step to tackling bike thefts will be to make bicycle registration free, and to require mandatory bike registration for all new bicycles going forward.
“It’s a simple change, but a powerful one,” says Rana.
“When you purchase a new bike, the bike should be registered to you automatically, and if you want to register your old bike, there shouldn’t be a cost.”
The second step is to partner with bicycle theft tracking app 529 Garage, a free bike-tracking app that connects your bike registration number to police across the country.
“Stolen bikes are sometimes transported across provincial lines, so it’s important to connect with more than one police jurisdiction,” says Rana.
“Once your bike is registered with the city, it will be registered with the app.”
Cities that have partnered with the app have seen bicycle theft drop more than 40 per cent, according to 529 Garage.
The app gives officers the ability to search more than 2.4 million registrations at any time of day and from anywhere with the 529 Police app.
“Bike theft costs more than the price of a bike,” says Rana.
“Five bikes are reported stolen daily in Winnipeg, but many times people don’t even bother reporting, because the chances of being reunited with your bicycle are only about 10 per cent.
“We can do better.”
The third step will be to continue to explore more long-term storage options, like the bike locker currently at Confusion Corner.
“As we improve our bike network across the city, safe storage solutions will be part of the conversation.”
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For more information or to arrange an interview:
Elisha Dacey, Press Secretary
204-290-8009
team@rana4wpg.ca
