Calls for more secure bicycle parking in Sudbury

There are calls for more secure bicycle parking infrastructure in Sudbury following recent thefts downtown and in other public places.

Two cyclists in Sudbury who have had their bikes stolen recently are sharing their stories.

One said more secure bicycle lockers are available and should be placed downtown and in other public places, including city hall.

Andrew Way is disabled, living with epilepsy and a back injury that is the result of a seizure. Way uses his bike as a mobility aid under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

“I have had my bike stolen before,” he said.

“My mother used to work security downtown and she has seen many bikes stolen, vandalized even. People will even just take the tires and leave the frame.”

Way said where possible, he brings his bike inside as his mobility aid but is often told that bikes aren’t allowed inside.

He refuses to use the bike racks located at Tom Davies Square and across the city because he said they are not secure.

“They are very open to anybody,” Way said.

“Battery-operated angle grinders can get through a lock pretty quickly and nobody walking by will stop somebody doing it. So I would hardly call them secure.”

He has written to city council, local malls and Downtown Sudbury about his concerns, calling for more bike lockers like the ones at Health Sciences North placed throughout the city.

“They have giant steel bins that you can’t even see inside,” Way said.

“So nobody knows if there is even a bike inside it. I think that would be ideal for downtown.”

There is a bike locker in the underground parking lot at Tom Davies Square, but it’s for employees only.

Peter Desotti, 73, said he bicycles downtown regularly. His bike was locked at a rack at the main library downtown when it was stolen recently.

“Devastated -- I thought this was a safe place,” Desotti said.

“What could be a safer place to park your bike than at a library branch at 10 o’clock or 10:30 in the morning, right?”

Desotti said he confirmed with the library that the theft was caught on video surveillance.

“They had broken the lock on my bike and there was video footage apparently available, but I can’t access it -- the police have to do that,” he said.

Sudbury police said officers will go to the library to obtain video surveillance footage. Officials said there were 71 reports of bicycle theft in 2024.

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Desotti said he fully supports calls for more secure bike parking.

In an email, the city said it’s committed to supporting the development of accessible and secure bike infrastructure.

And it continues to assess opportunities to improve cycling amenities across the community.