I met the founders at the Evergreen Mountain Bike Festival a month ago and they gave me the skinny. Sign the pledge. Please. Let’s help make this happen.
As the popularity of bicycling in the US continues to grow, unfortunately so does the problem of bike theft.
To help combat this crime, tech startup Project 529 launched a petition requesting eBay and Craigslist to require serial numbers on all bike sales.
Here’s what you’ll be signing:
To: Craig Newmark (Craigslist, Founder), John Donahoe (eBay, CEO), Jim Buckmaster (Craigslist, CEO)
Every 30 seconds, a cyclist has their bike stolen in the United States. Nearly half of college students with bicycles will lose them during their education. Bicycle theft is rampant in the United States, and it’s due in part to the ease of fencing stolen bikes through online sites. There’s a simple solution that would help dramatically cut down on these statistics: requiring a serial number when selling bikes online. Just as VIN numbers are required to list cars for sale, requiring a serial number will deter criminals from using your sites to move stolen bikes. It additionally gives the victims of theft a chance of recovering their bikes. We the undersigned are petitioning eBay and Craigslist to add the simple requirement of including serial numbers for bicycle listings. We believe this poses no material impact to legitimate sellers or to your business. Please help keep this vibrant category on your sites ethical and above board.
Thank you.
asdf
Todd Elsworth is one of the many “Mossy-haired lunatics roaming the dripping peninsulas”, described in “I’m Here for the Weather” by Tom Robbins. As executive director, he works to fulfill our mission to teach the health benefits of nature, promote outdoor recreation, and steward the places where we play.
