RPK79

So, no. You're place of business does not love you.

MEversbergII

Forgot to mention that the com room where I store mine also has another bike. It's been there ages and I think it belongs to my Big Boss. It's certainly old school, Japanese (judging by all the Kanji) and has cottered cranks. Drop bar racing style bike. Even got suicide levers. I've been meaning to ask him when he picked it up but keep forgetting.

M.

wipekitty

I work at a university, so there's plenty of bike racks outside my building...but no indoor parking. I could take it in my office, I guess, but my office is really nice with brand new paint and carpet, and my bike is usually pretty gross.

They finally shoveled out the bike racks this week for the first time since December! For the last two months, I've been trucking through a foot of snow to park next to all the bikes with "abandoned" tags on them.

skinny matt

They have offered to let me bring my bike inside but I prefer just to leave it outside, lest I be tempted to ride it around the clinic.

swwhite

I have an outside rack, but it is outside the floor-to-ceiling windows of the office fitness center (so it is under observation) and and underneath an overhanging part of the building (so I can "saddle up" in dryness on a rainy day). So I guess the like me a lot. On rare days when I have to use the folding bike, I just wheel it up to my cubicle and park it there. So on those days they either love me or tolerate me.

Medic Zero

That IS nice! It seems to take me forever to get into my winter togs.

Pridedog

To the original question: Does your place of business love you as much as mine does me? In my case I would say more based on pictures of your outdoor racks. All employees and customers are encouraged to bring their bikes into the office. Space next to their desks or in the lobby are made available to park bikes. In addition employees are reimbursed for riding their bikes to work. We have floor pumps, bike tools, lube, spare tubes, etc. in the office in case you need a quick fix before you go home.

rms13

The weather will be back up to 85 degrees here by tomorrow and I can park my bike at my desk....but I did grow up in Mass. so I appreciate the heartiness of your commute this time of year.

And my company give me $2/day for commuting by bike so they do love me

teddywookie

Huh. My immediate response is to dismiss this as a pack of lies from start to finish, but then I wonder, 'can it be?'

Walter S

I'm the only one (of hundreds) that bike commute where I work. It is bike friendly nonetheless. I have a 20 mile ride to work, and then I take my bicycle up the service elevator and park it in my office for the day. After stashing my lunch in the cooler I go downstairs and shower. It's all very easy. I don't know why more people don't do the same.

ubringliten

My workplace has all the amenities that any bike commuter would love. First of all, it rewards us $6 one way and $12 round trip. It pays for my lunch. We have bike cages with floor pumps in every parking garage, and bike racks in every staircase lobby. We also have showers and lockers. We also have free bike-shares on campus and best of all, we have a bicycle club at work. I am that much loved by my company. =)

wsgts

I'm jealous.....

Walter S

How do they pay you? Is that your the action of your firm or part of a wider community program? What are they paying you for exactly? Not driving?

rms13

Damn. I thought my $2/day was good. I'm going to have to complain to my CEO

echale3

I work for a "green" environmental products/oil spill bioremediation company. I have a wall in my office to lean my bike against, and nobody complains.

Pridedog

Yes it is true. We are a statewide bicycle advocacy group, so what would you expect?

mstraus

Wow, where do you work???

I though my company was bike friendly, but we don't get paid for it. If we did I could make money bike commuting, not just save money!

ubringliten

I work in a big biotech company in the Bay Area. My company is very eco-conscious and gives us incentives to use public transit, carpool, vanpool, ride motorcycles, and bike of course. Biking gets the most incentive.

ubringliten

Believe it or not, it's an honor system. I report on this company's database monthly and gets reimbursed to my paycheck mid-month. My company doesn't want people to drive and also they are saving tons of money for not building parking lots/garages.

CrankyOne

How common is this among companies in your area? Office in Oakland? Any idea what the mode share is among employees? Mode share before/after incentives offered?

sirtirithon

I work in a college maintenance repair shop so I just bring my bike in and chain it up to a metal storage shelf. Don't have to lock it up but I do since we have students wandering around the area and who knows. Sure is nice not having to buy a parking permit for $75!

ubringliten

I don't think it's common in the Bay Area in terms of rewards for biking, but there are lots of companies here that have private buses (some companies are looking into providing ferries) that want to get you out of your car and take their buses.

Good question on the mode share before and after. I will have to find out from the program manager. What I know so far from looking at my department of 100 personnels, about 10% do ride their bikes to work. It would be more if they all live closer to work. Most of them are in the suburbs and some up to 50 miles away. In my group of 10 people, 3 including myself ride to work, one because of the rewards, one for fitness (3 times a week), and I because of environmental reason (and everything that's cool/fun about riding). So I don't think the incentives help all that much. I believe it's more about convenience.

CrankyOne

Agree. But, does an incentive program help get the word out to people, make the idea part of their consciousness as an option? Maybe get them to try it once or twice or provide just enough benefit along with others (health, enviro, fun, etc.) to get them over the fence? If one in three rides because of incentives that's pretty good, any idea if that holds among the larger group?

AGoodleyUK

I guess my workplace loves me although I do work for quite a big company, Microsoft. We have a heated underground bike park, almost everyone doesn't even bother to lock their bikes up.

Mark Stone

I work for Greyhound and at my terminal the situation is reversed. There is not enough parking for cars at all. Sometimes people are late because they arrive on time, but can't find parking. They do laps around the terminal waiting for a spot to open up lol - However, I have a storage room where we keep product for the vending machines - and a corner of it cleared out for my bike. I arrive at work, walk the bike into the building and roll 'er straight into the room and lock the door. It's a perfect setup for bicycing - unintended, sure - but perfect nevertheless.