How to correctly lock a bike to a bike rack - Source: Los Angeles Police Departmen

Providing an adequate number of bike parking racks in the right location is just one way that site managers can help prevent bike thefts and curb the growing trend in stolen bicycles across the country.

Bicycle theft is not a petty crime anymore. Today's bicycles can average from $300 to $400 in price and run as high as $5,000. That's a major temptation for crooks.

One major obstacle is that bicycle theft is generally not considered a top priority for most overworked police departments. For this and other reasons, many people don't even bother to report a theft when their bike is stolen.

But the numbers are adding up. According to FBI statistics, their data indicates that 250,000 bicycles are reported stolen every year.

Commercial bike rack with bicycle rider desig

It's not often a person stands up and questions the mega-corporation known as Walmart. But when it comes to a commercial bike rack, that's just what one Jupiter, Fla. person did at a recent town meeting.

Walmart is expanding their store in this southeastern Florida town from 128,000 square feet to 165,000 square feet and spending about $12 million to make the change.

Except, there was a perception somebody may have forgotten the bicycle parking racks. At least, that's what Polly Daugherty feared after she reportedly spoke to a few employees at the store who apparently told her they didn't think a bike rack would be added.

So Polly showed up at the town meeting and wanted to know

Courtesy of League of American Bicyclist

A bike parking rack takes up less space and is becoming a preferred part of the urban landscape as research shows more people choose to ride their bikes to work instead of drive their cars.

The League of American Bicyclists issued a report recently indicating that from 2000 to 2011, bicycle commuting in bike-friendly communities skyrocketed by 80%.

Here's a breakdown of some of the cities with the highest growth in bike commuters. These city dwellers prefer to leave their mode of transportation in a space-saving parking bike rack instead of their car in a space-wasting garage:

Portland - 443% Lexington-Fayette County, KY - 435% Washington DC - 315% San Francisco - 258%