Cycle thieves, we are watching you: Impact of a simple signage intervention against bicycle theft
Nettle, Nott and Bateson tested a simple sign against bicycle stealing on a university campus. Signs showing watching eyes and a related verbal message were placed above bicycle racks at three locations with high theft, with the rest of the campus as a comparison, and reported thefts were followed for a year before and after. Thefts fell sharply at the signed locations while they rose elsewhere on campus. The authors note that the signs may have displaced offending to places without signs, and suggest using them as an addition to other measures. The design combined eyes and words in one sign, so it cannot say which did the work.
Nettle, Nott and Bateson tested a simple sign against bicycle stealing on a university campus. Signs showing watching eyes and a related verbal message were placed above bicycle racks at three locations with high theft, with the rest of the campus as a comparison, and reported thefts were followed for a year before and after. Thefts fell sharply at the signed locations while they rose elsewhere on campus. The authors note that the signs may have displaced offending to places without signs, and suggest using them as an addition to other measures. The design combined eyes and words in one sign, so it cannot say which did the work.
Written from the abstract, Northumbria University research portal.
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Nettle, D., Nott, K., & Bateson, M. (2012). Cycle thieves, we are watching you: Impact of a simple signage intervention against bicycle theft. PLoS ONE, 7(12), e51738. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0051738