(Image: Sanjosebikeblog)
It’s every bike owners worst nightmare. You come back to where you left your precious ride and all you can see is…well, nothing.
You stand there staring at where it used to be, helmet dangling uselessly from your hand before turning round and trudging off to the bus station, fighting back the rage (and yes, the tears).
In Málaga, Spain, a site called Bicibuscadores was set up in March by a group of cyclists who had had enough. Translating to Bike Hunters, this site is for tracking black spot bike thefts areas, warning other cyclists and also, hopefully, getting you back your pride and joy.
When disaster strikes, you log onto Bicibuscadores and geotag where your bike was stolen from. You put up as many details as you can about how in happened (i.e. which lock you used, was it removed or cut, was the whole bike taken) and you can add a photo of your bike so that others can keep an eye out for it.
(Image: Bicibuscadores)
The idea is that if enough people tag where their bike was nicked from, a pattern will emerge showing the most risky areas to leave your two wheeled friend. It will hopefully give the police a heads up as to where to keep an eye on too.
The site is only in Beta at the moment and currently just focused on Málaga but plans are to roll it out across Spain, and hopefully further afield.
