Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology partnered with the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Urban Solutions to examine a stubborn issue in Amsterdam: bicycle theft. In a study published in a prominent open-access journal, the team reported that the majority of stolen bikes tend to stay within the same area where they were taken. The work sheds new light on how thieves operate and where stolen bicycles typically surface next, offering important data for urban policy makers and law enforcement in cities with high cycling rates across North America and Europe.
Amsterdam ranks among the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world, a status built on vast networks of bike lanes, accessible rentals, and a culture that embraces cycling as everyday transport. Yet the city also contends with a high volume of bicycle thefts. Each year tens of thousands of bicycles disappear, representing a meaningful portion of the city’s roughly 850 thousand two-wheelers. The scale of this theft problem has long frustrated residents and officials alike and has prompted researchers to explore new ways to deter theft and improve recovery rates.
With the consent of city authorities, the researchers attached inexpensive tracking devices to a sample of 100 used bicycles and left them in public spaces to observe how often and where these bikes would be stolen. The field work spanned from the beginning of June 2021 through the end of November 2021, a period that exceeded the city’s average theft rate for similar experiments. During this window, 70 of the bikes were taken, signaling higher-than-average activity for the city during that time.
Findings showed that 68 of the 70 stolen bicycles remained within the neighborhood where the theft occurred. Approximately 18 percent of the stolen bikes were likely resold, which implies that new owners in the same area may ride a bike without awareness that it was stolen. This result underscores how localized the theft-and-recovery cycle can be, with thieves and buyers often operating within close geographic proximity to the original incident.
The researchers emphasized that the experiment yields practical insights into the nature of bicycle theft in Amsterdam and similar urban environments. By sharing methods and outcomes with municipal authorities, the study aimed to equip policymakers and law enforcement with actionable information to curb theft, improve rapid recovery, and deter resale. The broader implication is that targeted interventions near theft hotspots, enhanced bike registration, and community awareness campaigns could disrupt theft networks and improve outcomes for residents who rely on bicycles for daily mobility. In cities with strong cycling cultures, translating these findings into policy could help reduce the economic and social impact of bike theft while maintaining the benefits of urban cycling for residents and visitors alike.