Visualizing…Toronto: Is Your Bike Next? A Look into Bicycle Theft Data in Toronto

Overview

This analysis examines the ‘Bicycle Thefts’ dataset of the City of Toronto to provide a brief overview of the bicycle theft rate and high-risk factors.

Dataset

Bicycle Thefts dataset from the City of Toronto Open Data Portal (https://open.toronto.ca/dataset/bicycle-thefts/) accessed on March 30, 2024.

Definition

Bicycle-related codes: https://data.torontopolice.on.ca/documents/332f6e958b704d9aa023e7c3487f710f/explore

Tools

Tableau Public

Findings

General

1. How has the number of Bicycle Thefts changed YoY?

The graph shows the overall year-over-year (YoY) trend in bicycle thefts in Toronto from 2018 to 2023. The number of thefts shows a consistent decline, with a significant drop in 2020. This downward trend appears to be continuing.

How has the number of Bicycle Thefts changed YoY?

2. Did bicycle theft occur more frequently during specific months or days of the week?

The table shows the monthly distribution of bicycle thefts in Toronto from 2018 to 2023. Notably, thefts appear to be most common between June and August in each year, suggesting a seasonal peak during the summer months.

Did bicycle theft occur more frequently during specific months?

The graph shows the distribution of bicycle thefts across the days of the week in Toronto from 2018 to 2023. The thefts appear to be relatively evenly distributed, with no one day showing a significant spike.

Did bicycle theft occur more frequently during specific days of the week?

3. Which location did bicycle theft occur more frequently?

Apartments have the highest number of reported bicycle thefts, followed by "Streets, Roads, Highways" and "Single-Family Homes."

Which location did bicycle theft occur more frequently?

4. Which Police Division did bicycle theft occur more frequently?

From 2018 to 2023, the top 3 police divisions with the highest number of bicycle thefts were D52, D14, and D51.

Which Police Division did bicycle theft occur more frequently?

Bike-specific information

5. What bicycle brands are most often stolen?

Besides uncategorized and unknown brands, Giant, Trek, and Norco are the most frequently stolen bicycle brands.

What bicycle brands are most often stolen?

6. What bicycle types are most often stolen?

Excluding uncategorized and unknown types, mountain bikes, regular bikes, and racer bikes are the most frequently stolen.

What bicycle types are most often stolen?

7. What bicycle colors are most often stolen?

Black, gray, and blue are the most commonly stolen bicycle colors.

What bicycle colors are most often stolen?

Conclusion

This analysis of bicycle theft data in Toronto from 2018 to 2023 uncovers several significant trends. There’s been a noticeable increase in bicycle theft rates, with a consistent year-on-year decline observed. A notable exception is the significant decrease in thefts in 2020.

Interestingly, thefts do not show a significant difference across weekdays, suggesting that the timing of thefts may not be tied to the day of the week. However, thefts appear to be more prevalent during the summer months, specifically from June to August.

Regarding the location of thefts, apartments are the most common, followed by streets and single-family homes. The data also highlights the top three police divisions — D52, D14, and D51 — with the highest number of reported thefts.

When examining specific bicycle characteristics, Giant, Trek, and Norco are the most frequently stolen brands, excluding those that are uncategorized or unknown. Among the types of bicycles, mountain bikes, regular bikes (presumably road bikes), and racer bikes are the most targeted, with uncategorized and unknown types excluded from this analysis. Additionally, the most commonly stolen bicycle colors are black, gray, and blue.

These insights offer valuable information for various stakeholders. For cyclists, being aware of peak theft times and locations can help in taking appropriate security measures. Police can allocate resources more effectively to high-risk areas and times. City planners might consider initiatives to enhance bike security infrastructure, especially in apartment buildings. Further analysis could delve into the reasons behind the decline in thefts and explore potential correlations with external factors.

What is the “Visualizing…” series?

The “Visualizing…” series delves into Toronto’s (or the specific province’s) open data on a regular basis. These reports translate raw data into graphs and insights, helping us understand the city (or province) better. Feel free to share your feedback or suggestions with me. Apartments are the most common location for reported thefts, followed by streets and single-family homes. The data also identifies the top 3 police divisions (D52, D14, D51) with the highest number of reported thefts.