Ubiquitous: Ever current, throughout the place, all-pervasive, far reaching, inescapable, and extra.
We’re not speaking flies at a barbecue, or ants in the kitchen after the children spilled the honey.
No, the new definition for ubiquitous is—electrical bikes; and to a barely lesser extent, tiny-wheeled electrical skateboards .
Electric bikes, also referred to as e-bikes, actually are swarming all through Newport Beach, particularly round colleges (going to and coming from), alongside the boardwalk, down stretches of PCH, zooming the streets and alleys on Balboa Island and the peninsula.
![](https://www.newportbeachindy.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Lieutenant-little-240x300.jpg)
“I’m not sure on the number of electric bikes here, but we’re seeing a huge increase in the number of them on our streets,” stated Lt. Eric Little, who oversees the Newport Beach PD’s site visitors division. “Many residents own electric bikes, and we draw many visitors who either bring their own, or rent them.”
With the proliferation of electrical bikes, in addition to typical bikes, throughout the pandemic years, there additionally has been a rise in accidents and accidents, Little noticed. Most frequent causes are pace, unsafe turns and right-of-way violations, he stated.
However, what appears to harm greater than scrapes and bone fractures is the realization when an proprietor wakes up in the morning to go to high school, or goes to retrieve their e-bike when completed browsing, that their favourite, cheap-to-operate two-wheeler is not there.
Because of e-bike reputation, it ought to come as no shock that e-bike thefts are on the rise, whereas typical pedal bike thefts have decreased, Little famous.
E-bike costs vary between $600 and $8,000, with the majority retailing between $1,500 and $4,000. There’s a hefty resale marketplace for purloined e-bikes. But all is just not misplaced when a motorcycle is stolen, particularly if that bike’s serial quantity had been registered by way of Project 529 — a web-based bike registry using downloaded images and serial numbers that make it tougher for thieves to resell stolen bikes.
Interestingly, the identify is a play on hours of the day: People work 9 to 5; however after work, severe cyclists hit the roads or trails from 5 to 9.
“Our detectives do actively work bike theft cases, and have had a lot of success in the past,” stated Detective Sergeant Brandon Rodriguez. “By registering your bike, it allows us to enter it into the stolen property system, and that greatly improves our chances to solve the case.”
An owner-applied marking that’s tough to identify additionally assists investigators, as a result of thieves regularly eradicate body numbers, he shared.
During a latest theft investigation in Lynwood, wherein a $25,000 energy washer was recovered, detectives additionally situated two high-end electrical bikes, whose subtle IDs revealed that each had been stolen from Newport. The liberated bikes had been returned to at least one ecstatic proprietor.
As fantastic as tracing know-how is, typically the outdated tried-and-true strategies of safety work finest: Lt. Little recommends that you just retailer your bike indoors, or use a heavy-duty chain and bike lock which can be tough to chop, proof that simplicity continues to be magnificence.
To report a stolen bike, go to the NBPD on-line reporting system (NBPD.org) or name the non-emergency quantity, (949) 644-3717.