Governor’s Column （February,
2010）
Two Thousand Yen to Prevent Bicycle
Theft
It could be
said that Saitama Prefecture a bicycle kingdom. First of all, with a
value of 12.564 billion yen, the value production of Saitama’s bicycles is the
second highest of all the prefectures; the number of bicycles owned is third
after Tokyo and Osaka at 5.436 million; and the ownership rate is number one
with 1 bicycle per 1.3 people. We might say that Saitama is the top
prefecture in actual bicycle usage, with reasons for this is including the fact
that, after Ibaraki Prefecture, Saitama has the second highest percentage of
flat land, and bicycles are often used for commuting to work and school.
Bicycles are
good for our health, good for the environment, good in many ways. However, all
things have both positive and negative aspects. Traffic accidents involving the
elderly are number one for traffic accident-related deaths, but bicycle-related
traffic accident deaths account for approximately 20 percent of the overall
total. One often sees irresponsible bicycle riding that is shocking, even
frightening.
Additionally,
Saitama has the dishonor of ranking as number three in stolen bicycles next to
Tokyo and Osaka. Let’s take a look at the occurrence of crimes in 2003,
the years I was elected governor, and 2008. The acknowledged number of
criminal offenses in Saitama Prefecture in 2008 was 31.9% less than in 2003.
Serious crimes such as murders and robberies were down 39.5%.
Thanks to the efforts of citizen’s patrols, burglaries showed a decrease
of 51.0%. However, bicycle thefts were down a mere 14.0%. In fact,
they were up from 2007, with the number of bicycles reported stolen in 2008
being 33,289.
So I have a
proposal to greatly reduce the number of bicycle thefts: be sure to always put
a “cylinder lock” using ring-shaped keys on your bicycle. Even though the
old type of locks that come mounted on bicycles can easily be broken, these
\2000 locks will be sufficient to keep your bicycle safe. Double-locking
your bicycle using a wire or U-shaped lock in addition is even more
secure.
I have not
been asked to sell cylinder locks, but it is simply that by reducing the number
of petty crimes, the police will be able to deal with more serious crimes.
Though it may be merely a bicycle, it is still a bicycle.
Kiyoshi Ueda
Governor of Saitama Prefecture
