The increasing popularity of events such as the Sunday Via RecreActiva has led to more people buying bikes, but also to more cyclists and bike shops being targeted by thieves. There have been eight cases of bicycle stores being robbed in the metropolitan zone this year, including three in the past week, while thefts from people’s driveways or street corners are increasingly common.
In the last week armed thieves robbed Moab Bikes in the Arboledas neighborhood and Bike Addict on Avenida Vallarta in Zapopan – the second time the store has been targeted this year. Burglars also broke into Bike Out on Lopez Mateos in Guadalajara’s Arcos Sur neighborhood at night, with the stolen merchandise from the three stores totaling almost two million pesos.Bikes can be sold from as little as 500 pesos to as much as 65,000 pesos at the very top end of the scale. To avoid theft, cyclists are advised to buy high-quality locks and never leave their bikes in deserted areas with poor illumination.
Similarly, car theft is another major problem. Despite the number of cars reported stolen falling by 11.7 percent nationally in the last year, cases have risen by six percent in Jalisco.
The state recorded 6,881 vehicles stolen from November 2011 to November 2012 (up from 6,512 last year), the fourth highest total in the country after the State of Mexico, the Federal District and Nuevo Leon.