I had a similar situation yesterday - our facility manager was in my dept and saw my bike and said that it needed to be locked to the bike rack out back because it was a saftey hazard. I work in a print shop. There are forklifts and stuff. Big machines that take two people to run and stretch a hundred feet - they have to reach into parts of these machines to add ink while it's running. There are piles of pallets in shipping that are all different sizes stacked up haphazardly back in shipping, ready to fall over when another is added. My 17lb bike that I've been bringing inside since I started there and just dropped about $500 dollars into the wheels on is a safety risk? She wouldn't budge. True, I did have it somewhere where someone 3 feet wide (she's close, but it's the first time I've ever seen her in there) could accidentally bump into it. Maybe.

So I took the bike outside, and locked it there when I got to work today. Last night I sent her an email asking if this was a new policy, explaining my concerns about theft, asking if it would be OK if I put it somewhere where people don't walk, like behind my printer. My printer is big enough that you wouldn't even see it. Hmm... I think I know what I'll do tomorrow.

She didn't reply to the email, but I also asked for a new pass card, which was at the front desk today. Go figure.

When I was riding a different bike, our regional manager and one of his higher ups came through my dept. The higher up stopped the tour speak and starting going off about my bike, and how cool it was that someone would ride a brakeless track bike to work, and asking me about the bike... Obviously they didn't think it was a problem. My manager hadn't had a problem with it there unless there was a tour coming through, then he'd just have me move it out of the way. But he was in the room when this lady told me to take it outside, and didn't say anything.

Whatever. I'll just stash it behind the printer tomorrow.

I second the folding bike idea..just shove it in some kind of nylon bag and say it's a big bag of yours.

If they have a problem with it, ask them to provde secure storage...that usually shuts them up once they realize what a pain securing a bike in a theft-prone area is.

One of the places I worked at had a vacant closet under a stairwell where they left it unlocked and employees could leave their bikes/scooters/etc in there. The building was all access-controled, so theft risks were thin...plus it wasn't labelled and the door was self-closing, so most people didn't even know that bikes were parked there...well...unless they were parking one there too

They did however ask that employees cable-locked their bikes just to insure that "borrowing" was at a minium. Happened that some guy took another guy's english racer for a parking lot spin, thinking he wouldn't mind....well the owner threw a hardcore hissy fit once he realized that it was taken out (turns out it was in a different gear than he parked it in), and soon those little plastic signs all up on the walls in there showed up "Please lock your bike up to prevent unintended "borrowing"". Given I would be angry as well...but that was why I locked mine with a cheapo cable lock....we weren't worrying about thieves, we were worrying about fools playing with our stuff.

I assume they don't allow cars or motorcycles inside the building either
No big deal. Either park it outside or get a folding bike, as suggested by another poster.

Paul

If you take the wheels off, then you just have assorted bike parts, but no bike! I also like the idea ;mentioned of keeping a giant cardboard box at work to put your bike inside.

I've been repeatedly told by officials from my university that having the bike inside is a "fire hazard", at the schools I was at before here this was also the stated reason for not allowing the bike inside. I don't get it. Its a fire hazard if it blocks a door or a window. If it hangs out in the back corner of my windowless office how is it a fire hazard? The people who give me grief about this (whom I ignore) always say "The fire marshal says so."

To quote an aging actor, "He can come into my office and pry it from my cold dead hands."

I just don't get it. My bike is as much a fire hazard as a chair, or a filing cabinet.

Now if I was riding one of those woody's then maybe he would have a point. Except my desk is made out of wood, so that can't even be it.

Does anyone know why they claim it is a fire hazard, is there any sort of reasoning to it?

It never hurts to be friends with the security guards at the front desk, too. Maybe get to know the security guard(s) who are on duty when you arrive and leave work, and let them know that you understand that they are not responsible for keeping an eye on your bike. Ask them what is the best way for you to bring your bike in, and maybe they'll suggest a back entrance or something.

When I worked in New York, I used to carry my bike right past a huge sign that said "No Bikes or Rollerblades In Building" every day, and wave hello to the security guard who never said a word about it. He would even hold the door for me sometimes. I also used to bring him coffee and a bagel once a week when I would go back out for breakfast, and a slice of pizza if we worked late and ordered dinner.

Good luck, don't give up!

I tilt mine over a little and hide it behind a 6100 in my print shop....
No one even knows its there. In other print facilities Ive worked
there is ineveviebly some asshat that thinks its funny to hide the bike.
I make sure it is within sight now.

Why does everyone automatically assume that it's always a biker versus non-biker issue?

This could be as simple as an Liabilty & Insurance issue (a policy that all companies should have in place). Perhaps the employer does not want to responsible for the bike in case of fire, theft or if someone borrows the bike without the owners permission & then gets into or causes an accident.

I could be wrong, but once the employer acknowledges that the personal property is in the building, they're responsible for it.

Ding Ding Ding Ding. We have a winner.

This is what they told me.

Apparently bikes in the lobby are a fire hazard. I guess it could impede the mad stampede out of the building in the event of an actual emergency.

I believe I found the actual person whose job it was to make and post the signs, and despite 'No Exceptions' written on the sign, they said I was an exception since I use the side door and store the bike in my office next to the window (which doesn't open, so the jump out of the window idea in event of fire becomes moot).

I still think it is wrong for a community health center to discourage cycling, even towards their patients or other staff. And I think they should be responsible for putting in some bike racks or something so that people who would bike can still do so. It wouldn't hurt if the parking lot had some security too (it's just an open parking lot, no fences or anything, and no security whatsoever).

But I'm not going to push it, since I don't want them to revoke my exclusion to the posted rule. Now, I'm just wondering whether I was the intended target of the sign and the guy just backed down rather than fight over the issue, or they never meant it for me in the first place. I think it's the former, as there is 1 sign in the lobby, but 3 along the route I enter the building (by the side door, in the hallway, and again outside my office).

- Don

It's generally ignorance and an unwillingness to take transportational cycling seriously.

Many or even most (depending on where you work) workplaces provide off-street parking for employees who drive with security commensurate to the setting. That is, nobody is asking you to park your car across town in East St. Louis or the South Bronx. That's just not fair, right?

On the other hand, they don't have any understanding of bike commuting. Spending $2000 to build a properly secured bike cage seems like an exhorbitant expense for toys. Just be normal and drive like everyone else, guy. So my workplace has a bunch of wheel bender racks right out on the plaza where bikes are continually molested by school groups and otherwise unruly museum patrons. I've had things stolen off my bike out there as have others that I work with. If that were happening in the garage, it would be unacceptable. But it doesn't because the garage is a separate facility and has a full time attendant, who could just as easily have a cage full of bikes within their line of sight. They don't have to do anything special other than watch for people screwing with the bikes there, which they wouldn't, because the attendant is watching them.

So if the company or the building management has a problem with bikes inside, then they should provide bike parking that is comparable to what they provide those who drive, at the very least. A strong argument can be made that it should be even better, given the economic benefits to the company, nevermind the do-gooderism.

As for fire code and personal property liability...that's a red herring. People bring cell phones, CD players, books, purses, and all manner of other stuff into the building and yet there's no outcry against that. People have desks and filing cabinets that are bigger than bikes and rolling chairs that in the event of evacuation are just as hazardous as a bike. Both bikes and chairs should be kept clear of the exits, duh.

It's not that people are trying to be mean because they hate cyclists. It's that they don't take them seriously.

I work in a hospital with the same policy. I heard about the policy by being verbally attacked by an infection control employee in the elevator. I thought the policy had something to do with infection control but when I got to checking on it, I learned that it was a security/safety thing. I have yet to meet a safety officer that did not love to make such rediculous blanket policys. Those guys have way too much time on their hands and cannot control the real threats (like infection and hand washing) so they attack the little stuff with zealous vigor to appear as if they are doing something, IMHO.

I thought that because I was riding a bike that retails for more than my car an exception could be made. But no luck. I patiently explained to them that their "theftproof" cage in a dark and remote corner of the parking garage did not extend to the sealing and that two theives could back a pick-up up to the cage and make off with bikes in seconds. Again, no luck. I even tried the "do you know who I work for?..." thing but that was more of a joke than a real threat.

So, I was screwed and had to park the bike in the cage with at least two locks at all times. Then I got a new job in a different office building for the same hospital. My manager does not know if this building has the same rule, so I park the bike in the cubicle and take advantage of the confusion.

I really like the travel case idea.

If there was an actual emergency he would be the first one out of the door, because he is riding his bike, I don't see how it is a hazard,. actually it could be a lifesaver.

:LOL: I hope you have some gnarly shocks for the stairs.

I think a lot of the views here are dictated by what geographic region you come from.
People on the East are not as receptive to alternate means of transportation like they
are from Oregon or Washington for instnance.....In Pa you are a nusance that is
acted upon all too often. So...in the East I would say people not only dont take cyclists
seriously but are angry towards them too. When I rode a motorcycle to work I had a
woman complain that the bike shouldnt be taking up a parking spot in front of the building,
they are for cars.

I have a solution for you. Stash your bike IN the printer.

Indeed. Get a petition together for the workers that the building install bike racks on the side of the building. More people would ride in, I bet, if there was a safe place to lock their bike, and not be barred from riding in to work due to fire safety.

If I had access to a printer that large. I would make actual-size copies of my bike and tape them up all over the place.

I've got a bad habit of pushing the wrong buttons sometimes.

Honestly, I consider this battle won, and won't be doing anything that might endanger my ability to keep my bike in the office.

I don't think the people that work here have any interest in biking in -- they don't look all that fit to be honest. So I don't think the petition would go anywhere anyway.

- Don

Why don't you go to a higher authority and say what's up? Say that I'm staying healthy and more alert by riding my cycle. Ask what the major problem is.

When I worked a research lab this past summer, on a "campus" way out there, so to speak, I was able to park my ride in the locked and conveniently located "bike shed". It was actually a pair of bike sheds, but the point is that there was a pretty safe place to put the bike (I used a lock inside too as did others, just in case). There was even a place to shower nearby. I miss those days. The current lame "liability" excuse in my current workplace has led to me taking the folding bike path.

Sounds like DonD has done well, getting the exception. I agree with the strategy of not endangering your situation by pushing for more, unless of course you find that there are a lot of people at work who'd like the same (doubt it).

I think you've made a wise decision.

Well, according to the building standards or fire codes, etc., x-number of feet must be made available in case of a fire and anything blocking that is a fire hazard. That's why there's a limit on the # of people in a bar/club, that's why when you were in grade school, you had to made a center and side aisle, etc., etc.

Hehe, I'm typing this from my corner cubicle where I got my bike against the wall. No complaints from management here.

Don - Well done. Kudos and Accolades. You pursued it, they reversed for whatever reasons.
Sounds like the other bike PO'd the authorities, they said you're good to go.

You've done well.
My only suggestion: occasional donuts for the desk guards. (Seriously)
Sometimes you can build a lot of good will that way, and if that other
bicyclist had been smoother this might not have happened.

You did good.
Ed

I work nights&odd shifts in a hospital, and was able to bring my bike into my lab for a couple years-no problems. Some of the security guards would even make a run for the front door in the morning to offer to hold it open for me (nice-but not needed). THEN somebody got a hair acrossed there backside. One of the security supervisors started hassling me everytime I came in (when he was on)-while at the same time another supervisor SAID the head of security was fine with it in inside. I should have spoken with the head directly (and gotten a written statement). Anyways, one time when the grumpy guy was on he simply refused to let me pass-and proceeded to have the ARMED hospital police officer confront me+call for backup-that was some scary intimidation for sure.

My dept head (who previously SAID it was fine to have in my lab), waffled-and claimed the total opposite.

Reasons given for no bikes inside:

-What if everyone rode bikes to work?
-Security risk.
-Safety hazard.
-Bikes have germs (I'll type this again)--Bikes have GERMS (that was an actual reason given)...oh my.

I'm pretty darned respectfull of (most) all the employees where I work, but to this day I still occassionaly just stop, point and laugh at the security supervisor who stated "bikes have germs"...

Check around for any kind of share a ride or commuter program in your area or company. They can pressure your employeer into making arrangements for bikes simply by acknowledging the company's commitment to a better environment. A little sugar coating so to speak.
My company goes as far as paying for a taxi up to 10 miles, in case of a legitmate problem. Employees simply need to sign up for the program.
Best of luck.