Living Car Free - My experience at the Drive in

Just a silly event that happened last night nothing special

I met up with some friends at a Drive in theater, I beat all of them there by about 10 mins... The young lady at the window refused to sell me a ticket at first. I explained that I had friends with a "vehicle" coming in, and she sold me my ticket.
Before I even got to the right lot, security was on me like a hawk. asking for my ticket, and telling me to return to my car,and after a quick 'no car to return to' explanation, He first called the gate to confirm that a cyclist bought a ticket and then told me to walk my bike to the lot and wait for my friends.
I pointed at the 2 cars driving by, and asked if he was going to ask them to walk their vehicles too?
He said that the driveway was vehicles only,
"I just rode 8 miles on 3 busy streets, And you wont let me drive my vehicle in an open parking lot?"
he followed with, "Motorized vehicles with doors"
It was around this time my buddies showed up and I stopped antagonizing him.

After it got dark and one movie down, the same security officer stopped me leaving the restrooms ( i was walking ) then told me to make sure I walk the bike off the property when I leave... I rode out anyway

Im thinking of going again with a bunch of friends on bikes and a trailer with a radio and some folding chairs for the hell of it...

Last time I went to a drive in theater... was a very long time ago.

What would be sweet is to get one of these pedal powered vehicles that are fully enclosed with doors (like the green hummer, or the bike car, or even a twike) and go. They are about the same size as a vehicle... if they don't let you in because of the lack of motor... well, I don't know what I'd do. Probably get moderately pissed off and threaten them with the Better Business Beaureu. Threatening businesses with the BBB (particularly smaller ones) often makes them change their tune in a big hurry. I could understand them harrassing you if you come in just with bikes and a trailer (there is higher potential, in theory, for you guys to make a mess, or to be a disturbance if you are not confined to a vehicle, which I think is the big thing), but if you come in a pedal powered vehicle that has doors... then I don't think they could do a thing about it.

Just my 5 cents (CDN).

Ahh, to be able to watch a movie at a drive-in. What the hell am I talking about, if I ever did decide to watch a drive-in movie, I probably never could see much through the fogged up windshield.

They don't do this just to annoy you. They do it because they have liability concerns. If you fell off your bike and got hurt on their property, you could sue them.

If this happened to you on their property, you could sue them, that's what they're afraid of:

http://pipec.ru/uploads/20070413/zhest.jpg

Yeah, because we all know that cars don't ever crash.

Just a silly event that happened last night nothing special

I met up with some friends at a Drive in theater, I beat all of them there by about 10 mins... The young lady at the window refused to sell me a ticket at first. I explained that I had friends with a "vehicle" coming in, and she sold me my ticket.
Before I even got to the right lot, security was on me like a hawk. asking for my ticket, and telling me to return to my car,and after a quick 'no car to return to' explanation, He first called the gate to confirm that a cyclist bought a ticket and then told me to walk my bike to the lot and wait for my friends.
I pointed at the 2 cars driving by, and asked if he was going to ask them to walk their vehicles too?
He said that the driveway was vehicles only,
"I just rode 8 miles on 3 busy streets, And you wont let me drive my vehicle in an open parking lot?"
he followed with, "Motorized vehicles with doors"
It was around this time my buddies showed up and I stopped antagonizing him.

After it got dark and one movie down, the same security officer stopped me leaving the restrooms ( i was walking ) then told me to make sure I walk the bike off the property when I leave... I rode out anyway

Im thinking of going again with a bunch of friends on bikes and a trailer with a radio and some folding chairs for the hell of it...


Look up the laws (a bike is a legal vehicle), print them out and then inform them you're being illegally harrassed and that you contacted your lawyer about it and he gave you these printouts of the laws to give them. ;)

I don't know, maybe it's just me, but isn't it more pleasant to ride one's bike to a regular movie theater and avoid the whole drive-in weirdness?

Yeah, because we all know that cars don't ever crash.
But a car crash would be covered by their insurance policy, whereas the coverage for having a cyclist run over on your property was probably $200 more a year they didn't wish to spend. I don't agree with the policy either. Just sayin'.

To the OP: If you feel harassed by the drive-in employees, call and speak to the manager or write a letter explaining that you will no longer patronize the establishment. That's what I did to a restaraunt here in G-ville when they wouldn't let me use the drive-through.

Hey Spiff, where did you find that photo? Do you know the story behind it?

Look up the laws (a bike is a legal vehicle), print them out and then inform them you're being illegally harrassed and that you contacted your lawyer about it and he gave you these printouts of the laws to give them. ;)

The discrimination here might be perfectly legal. Their house, their rules, and all that.

Im thinking of going again with a bunch of friends on bikes and a trailer with a radio and some folding chairs for the hell of it...
Critical mass at the drive-in! :D Actually I think it's a fantastic idea. It would be even better if one of the friends on bikes was a lawyer or a cop.

If this happened to you on their property, you could sue them, that's what they're afraid of:

What planet are you from, Spaceman? :rolleyes:

(probably Up-uranus):p

Look up the laws (a bike is a legal vehicle), print them out and then inform them you're being illegally harrassed and that you contacted your lawyer about it and he gave you these printouts of the laws to give them. ;)

Except that the theatre is private property and they can pretty much set their own rules. There was a similair discussion recently regarding a cyclist, who was reporting for work at a mall, having a run-in with security.

I do like the idea of a CM-type event. These theatres can't be doing so well that they would turn away 50 - 100 riders.

I do like the idea of a CM-type event. These theatres can't be doing so well that they would turn away 50 - 100 riders.

So long as they are all courtious and not harassing the drivers who are there. Otherwise it will give cyclists in general a bad name, and serve to re-enforce their view that cyclists shouldn't be going to the drive in.

This is good to know since I am going to the movies on my bike. I will call ahead of time.
I don't understand why you can't just use a bike since the sound comes from my walkman.

Another way to look at it is this: The drive-in is making free money. If you ride your bike, you won't take up a full space like a car so you are just an extra paying customer without taking up space.

I used to "walk" to the driv-in when I was in highschool. A buddy of mine lived right across the street from them. I'd drive to his house and we'd walk right in. Was better than waiting in the 5000 foot line of cars to get in. we had no problems, they were glad to take our money. they even had benches with speakers you could sit on to watch the movie.
It's odd how some businesses make it so hard for you to give them your money.
I bet if you talked to management, they'd see it your way.