[nradov]

I am capable of riding a bike, and I even enjoy it. But I seldom use a bike for transportation because I'm scared it will be stolen. Bike theft is rampant, locks are ineffective (especially when it comes to attached accessories like lights and pumps), and the police don't bother to investigate.

In the Bay Area we have some nice bike paths along the creeks, but the local authorities have allowed those to turn into homeless camps. Guadalupe River Park in San Jose is probably the worst. There are literally tents obstructing the paths. I know several people who have been accosted by aggressive homeless camp residents and are now afraid to travel through. And judging by the bike parts I see scattered around, many of the camp residents are prolific bike thieves.

As long as the local authorities refuse to enforce the law, I have to assume they don't take bike transportation seriously and are only paying it lip service for virtue signaling.

[blacksmith_tb]

One alternative solution to that problem is a folding bike, then you can just take it inside with you. Some even fold into something like wheeled luggage, if you needed to take it inside a grocery store and not just your office.

[nradov]

So now I need to buy yet another bike (good quality folding bikes aren't cheap), fold and unfold it at every stop, and drag it around in the store with me? And how am I supposed to carry a load of groceries on a little folding bike without a big basket or panniers? Come on, that's just not a realistic solution for any but the most dedicated cyclists.

I absolutely want to see more motorists switch to riding bikes. The only way to make that happen is though a combination of infrastructure improvements and effective law enforcement.

[joshjob42]

This is why I am planning on getting an electric unicycle. Compact and I can wheel it around like luggage under its own power.

[akvadrako]

Just get insurance; it shouldn't be more than $10 a month for a reasonably priced city bike.

[aembleton]

Might go up once your bike is stolen