e0richt

I don't get the problem with "slushy wheels" as people in my building walk in tromping in slush as well....

mstraus

Bummer you can't bring your bike it, but nice that they are offering lockers at least.

Could you use a second lock in addition to your own in the locker to make it a less attractive/easy theft target?

Re: Insurance - I don't think anyone company will have their insurance cover it. If you don't want to hit your homeowners if something happens, consider seperate bike insurance.

You could also consider a second bike for commuting, something that isn't as expensive.

nkfrench 

I had manager approval to bring my bike up the freight elevator to my 6th floor office but within a day I was notified by my my manager that the building management would not allow it.
I asked "why" and my manager said the concern was that in case of fire, I would create a hazard carrying my bicycle down the stairs either delaying or injuring others.
Then she said, "Of course you wouldn't do such a crazy thing."
Well, actually, the bike would be the first thing I'd rescue.

I completely understand wanting to have a nice ride for the distance OP is commuting.

noglider 

Jeez. Commuting by bike is relatively unusual, so the assumption is that it causes problems. Argh!

locolobo13 

Never thought about that. Keep my bike on the 3rd floor. In case of fire I am one of the floor sweepers. No time to rescue the bike. But I'm still keeping the bike up here on my floor.

Que sera

Tundra_Man 

This reminded me of a quote from the late great Mitch Hedburg:
"I was at this casino minding my own business, and this guy came up to me and said, 'You're gonna have to move, you're blocking a fire exit.' As though if there was a fire, I wasn't gonna run. If you're flammable and have legs, you are never blocking a fire exit."

nfmisso

Time to polish the resume; the job market is HOT in the Bay Area.

There are hundreds of companies with 10 miles of you that are perfectly happy to have you park your bike at your desk.

noglider 

NYC now requires employers to provide indoor bike parking space!

I-Like-To-Bike

Any reference for this new policy?

noglider 

NYC DOT - Bikes In Buildings

FBinNY 

Not quite. While it encourages employers to provide parking, it doesn't require it. What it does require is that if a office tenant (the employer) wishes to allow his employees to bring their bikes into the offices, and if the building can accommodate this by use of a freight elevator than the building owner must provide access and permission.

Note,

the employer is not obligated to offer this.
the landlord doesn't provide added space, bikes are stored in the tenant's space.
it only applies in an office building, (not retail or wholesale spaces)
it only applies if it's possible by virtue of an in service freight elevator, and doesn't require access to passenger elevators.

That's a far cry from saying employers must provide bicycle access.

alan s 

With that many holes in the "law," you might want to change "requires" to "encourages." Actually, nothing requires the leaseholder (presumably your employer) to request bike access to the building, and the individual cannot request it on their own.

I-Like-To-Bike

I believe that is a far more accurate description of the "requirements".

noglider 

Good points. It's far from a proper requirement, but it's an important step in the right direction!

I-Like-To-Bike

Agreed.

FBinNY 

I think the law goes about as far as it can and should go. It was passed because there were many examples where the tenant wanted to accommodate bicycles, but the landlord raised objections. The biggest and most immediate beneficiaries were small professional firms with a fw employees where a principle wanted to bring in his bike, and was prevented from doing so by the building's landlord.

OTOH- I'd be opposed to trying to take this farther. Employers pay big rents and occupancy taxes, and spend serious dough maintaining offices with the proper image. They also pay an MTA tax to subsidize mass transit, so why should they have to accommodate someone's personal transport decision?

IMO- they'd be perfectly within their rights in saying that's the riders choice, and his obligation to make it work out. Mo other objection to a "must provide bike parking" mandate is that it creates an entitlement, and leads to ill will. Now, a cyclist and his employer are free to work something out if both parties are willing, and the law prevents a 3rd party from citing nonsense objections, ie. the fire code, to block it. That's good.

However this entire thread is about someone who works at a firm that does provide bike parking, but it's not "good enough" for the OPs expensive bike. Do we want to see this play out daily, as cycle commuters assert "rights" and argue about the quality of mandated bike parking, the lighting, who's responsible for theft, and so on.

Good law enables, bad law restricts, or intrudes. Let's leave a good law to work, and leave everyday minor issues to old fashioned discussion and negotiation.

I-Like-To-Bike

Agree even more with FB's comments. Do not wish to use law for the purposes addressed by the OP where nothing seemed good enough for his precious baby.

PaulRivers

That's kind of the classic liberal vs conservative debate, isn't it? In idealistic liberalism, the government always makes good decisions that benefit everyone fairly. In idealistic conservatism, the government stays out of things and one can effective negotiate what's needed on a private level fairly.

In practice, the government tends to be bloated, innefficient, and have some corruption - and makes certain stupid decisions. Private individuals can be evil, and force horribly inefficient things to happen simply out of laziness. Or self-interest, etc.

Take antenna's. Someone running associations and apartment buildings decided "Hmm, I just don't like how they look, so you can't have an antennae" and put them in their rules. In some places, cable companies paid apartment buildings to disallow antennae's so one would be forced to buy cable service. Finally, the FCC said "You are legally allowed to put up an antennae on property that you own (townhomes and condos) and on property you are renting (apts, etc) in the direction for best reception". Now when some neurotic person wants to whine about how the sight of an antenae installed on property that someone else is paying to use (or even owns), they have to provide a viable alternative if they want it gone. To me, that seems like a much more effective solution.

I wouldn't want the government to mandate bike parking that isn't used, but some landlords just say "no bikes" because that's the way it's always been and they're to lazy to change. Or they think bikes are funny looking or something. It's kinda absurd. It's not the kind of thing an individual can change themselves. If the landlord or employer is already providing car parking, it's kind of absurd that you don't have the freedom to make the choice yourself in how to get to work.

P.S. Not that this entirely relates to what the OP was complaining about. I empathise with the feeling of trying to handle faceless bureaucrats higher up the company chain, but I can't bring my bike into my cube either. I have to lock it in covered parking outside - neither the worst or the best. But a lot better than some landlord saying "All our contracts have a standard clause saying no bikes on the property".

FBinNY 

But eminently reasonable, meeting the needs of both the employer and employee. I don't know of residences where they prohibit folks from bringing bicycles into their own apartments, but if a landlord wants to write stuff like that into a lease, I don't see it as any different from the no dogs rules.

The NYC law addresses a somewhat unique situation where some office building landlords were prohibiting office tenant employers from accommodating their employees within their own rented space.

But, even though I'm a bicycle commuter, and in the bicycle business, I don't see bicycle parking as any kind of rights issue. I see it more of a property owner/renter issue, and feel that it's up to employers/owners/renters to make the rules for their properties, without unnecessary government enforced mandates, or entitlements.

In most cases reasonable people can work things out, and if not, then maybe the best solution is to part company.

Darth Lefty 

Fantasizing about retaliation is much more fun than actually coming up with compromises and solutions.

• Lock it to the sign in front of the building!
• Lock it to the flagpole! (Here we have three flagpoles, one with the American, one with the California, and one with the company flag. Lock it to the company flagpole.)
• Lock it to the gate in the parking garage!
• Lock it to the front door handles!
• Lock it to the CEO's BMW!

RidingMatthew

i really like the idea of using the suction cup rack to the window. Art!

i think the van idea is cool too but probably would not fly for too long.

noglider 

Really good points, folks!

SeanBlader

Today was the day. Well actually yesterday, but since the office was closed, today was going to be the first day where anyone actually rode their bikes into the office. They sent out reminders every week in the corporate newsletter, but in addition there was an email from our local security contractor that said they'd only have people in the lobby starting at 8am. Since I usually like to get in well before that so I can leave early and get home before dark, that made me rather hopeful that I'd be able to get my bike through the lobby without being stopped. And so I rode the 16 miles this morning half expecting that I'd ride right back home.

The lobby was empty except for the nice guy who probably works on another floor showing up just ahead of me and holding the door for me. Then I went through the lobby at a brisk walk, almost forgetting that I needed to have my badge ready to carry my bike through the glass guillotine. But got my badge out swiped it and I was through and into the stairs. Describing it I rather feel like I pulled off a well planned heist... Well, one with very few steps and the one security guy sleeping at the monitors in the closet.

Thought I'd update everyone. Company policy is only as enforceable as there is someone who cares to enforce it.

TransitBiker

I thought about putting my bike at my desk, but i think it works just fine sitting in the garage.

As for bikes creating a hazard when evacuating, i think that could be worked around reasonably, but you know us muricans, reasonable takes forever.

- Andy

jiggity

My folding bike just got the boot from my office as well. Cited Fire and Safety code. Oh well.