An app known as 529 Garage is said to have reduced bicycle thefts in Vancouver by 30 percent. From reporting done by the CBC, 529 Garage emerges as a digital registry which permits an instant alert to all users that a registered bike has been stolen. Its use among police, bicycle retail and repair dealers as well as individual cyclists has proven an effective way to identify a stolen bike and in some cases catch thieves. As in the case of home security devices, a 529 Garage warning decal is available to further chill the typical thief. The app’s inventor is a man called J.Allard. He seems somewhat coy for reasons not clear. He wouldn’t tell CBC Toronto if the app was coming to Toronto, but did reveal that if a city has an NHL team he’s likely in talks about implementing the app there. How nice.
