You could let people lock their bikes with virtually no chance of theft of any part. They put a hook through the front wheel and press "Lock". They put their credit card thru a swiper. A cable winds their bike up about 10' off the ground into a rack under an awning.
No one can really do too much to the bike without attracting notice, and they don't need to worry about locking all the bits that come off the bike with quick releases. They can even put their helmets there on the handlebars.
Oh, to unlock? Swipe the same card, down it lowers. Not too hard to let an attendent or the building super override to lower, either - even from inside the building, I suppose.
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At the commuter train station in South Acton, MA, they have (or had when I last checked about 3 years ago) a simpler and less expensive solution: A self-service bike "garage" with a separate enclosure for each bike, where you store the bike for a day for a fee. This protects the bike from the weather as well as from tampering. (This is at an outdoor train station. Here in Greater Boston there are very few train stations that have indoor heated waiting rooms.) One problem with this setup is it takes up more space than a bike rack, and therefore wouldn't be doable where space is tight. The "hoisting" bike storage facility would solve the space problem, but I fear that to cover the capital and operating costs, they would have to charge too high a fee, such that not many people would use it.
RHMorrison: In your comment you state that separate tamperproof enclosures for each bike are cheaper. I am not understanding why it is cheaper to provide a weatherproof, strong, locked enclosure for each bicycle than a cable for each bike with everything else shared and lightweight (the awning, motor, and control.) Cable's pretty cheap, and none of it needs to be strong, since it's all "altitude protected".
Could you please share your cost data?
Well, this system has to have a maintenace line item that will be higher than the plastic storage box. A credit card reader and motor driven hoist are going to need a repair person with greater technical skill (read higher cost) than the box. And to make it all tamper proof gets really expensive. How do you keep someone with wire cutters from just cutting the cable?
Cranor, since it's you, and you are a contributor, not just a naysayer, I'd like to take it a point at a time.
Well, this system has to have a maintenace line item that will be higher than the plastic storage box.
Are you sure? The plastic storage box is down where it can be painted with graffiti, pried loose, climbed on, backed into with vehicles, etc.
A credit card reader and motor driven hoist are going to need a repair person with greater technical skill (read higher cost) than the box.
Granted. (But it would be all the better for some $$ figures.) The maintenance hit may not be as great as the tamperproofing/strengthening/cleaning costs for a ground-accessible system.
And to make it all tamper proof gets really expensive. How do you keep someone with wire cutters from just cutting the cable?
Ten feet off the ground isn't enough? Make it 15, or whatever you need to keep people from messing with the bikes/mechanism.