On Sun, 29 Jul 2007 18:23:55 -0000, Qui si parla Campagnolo
<peter@vecchios.com> wrote:
>On Jul 29, 9:09 am, Luigi de Guzman <luigi12...@cox.net> wrote:
>> On Sun, 29 Jul 2007 13:03:41 +0000, Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>> > Perhaps he has now bought a lock too...not in Holland anymore Toto.....
>>
>> Bicycle theft is much more prevalent in bicycle-borne societies. The
>> Dutch take bike locks *very* seriously.
>>
>> --
>> Luigi de Guzmanhttp://ouij.livejournal.com
>
>All but Peter?
Dear Peter & Luigi,
Ah, regional variation!
Pueblo isn't exactly Boulder, much less Holland. Around here, tools
and equipment are often left in the backs of parked pickup trucks.
Here's the scene of the crime, from 300, 200, and 100 yards away
across the vast parking lot of the near-dead 1960's shopping center
where the Midtown Post Office snoozes:
http://i13.tinypic.com/676uauo.jpg
http://i9.tinypic.com/4z2lpo2.jpg
http://i14.tinypic.com/6eypw2e.jpg
Maybe you could lock a bicycle to the flag pole or the handicapped
parking signs. You'd feel kind of silly, since there's no one around
and that's a store-front post-office.
That's roughly normal foot, bicycle, and vehicle traffic. You can see
why Spruij didn't expect anyone to steal his touring bike. His bad
luck was so noteworthy that it led to two newspaper articles.
And a pawn shop dealer returned Spruij's stolen bike the next day--not
exactly what you'd expect if your bicycle was stolen in Holland or
Boulder.
Here's an aerial view from 1999, when there were far more cars parked
in the lot:
http://terraserver.microsoft.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=10&Z=13&X=2665&Y=21180&W=3
The current pictures were taken looking north-north-east at the large
building. The Safeway grocery store, the Sears department store, and
the much larger old post office have all vanished. It's a long walk or
ride from just about anywhere.
Cheers,
Carl Fogel