My job does not support commuting :(
 

I was recently checking my options and the cards are stacked against me. Maybe someone can advise me on what steps I can take to improve the situation.

-- I work as an on-site CSR manager at one of my client locations. Because I am technically a vendor and not an employee of the company, I am not permitted to use the fitness center (which means no shower) due to insurance purposes. This would be somewhat of an issue since my ride to work will include some serious climbs and I'll likely be sweaty when I arrive.

-- The company has indicated that, rain or shine, the bike stays outside. There is a rack, which is always empty because nobody commutes. I don't have my own office so that is out.

-- Occasionally, and without warning, I need to travel a few miles from the office for an improptu meeting at the local branch office.

-- I am having a difficult time finding "bike friendly" roads. I'd likely be riding in a lot of crazy traffic. For those in my area, I have to ride from Northeast Philadelphia to Willow Grove.

Any suggestions? :)

I am going to discuss my dilemma with Facilities Services. You would think a company of this size (I work at the home office of a major financial institution) would be more in tune with the community and support any conservation efforts.

1 How far would the ride be, and how sweaty would you be? You might be able to try the route on a weekend and see. Lots of people either ride in office clothing or towel off and change in the bathroom. Showers are not really necessary -- I doubt whether the folks in Bejing have them. On the other hand, I don't see the risk factor in letting you use only the shower in the health club. Why not ask?

2 How much of a theft risk is there? The presence of a rack implies the possibility of a safe spot.

3 If it is only a few miles, you should be able to ride to the other office in street clothing. Failing that, a cab might work. An occaisional fare is cheaper than a year of parking expenses.

4 Again, try it and see. Maybe the routes are safe; maybe not.

See what you find out.

Paul

as far as the meetings go is there anyone else in the office that has to go that you could catch a ride with?

Even though I have access to a shower, I never use it. Shower before you leave home. Then cool down at the end of the ride -- stop sweating before you clean up.

Then a wipedown in the men's room with unscented wipes or a washcloth will be all you need.

Keeping your hair cut very short will simplify bike commuting immensely.

Bike theft will happen if you let it. You'll want to use both a u-lock and a cable, and if possible bring at least your saddle/seatpost inside. The bike you commute on should be "uglified" -- made to look used and distinctive. It should be locked where there is maximum foot traffic.

Exploring routes on the weekend is a good idea, but there's nothing wrong with riding on 4-lane arterials with shoulders. These can be very fast routes, and not a problem for the assertive vehicular cyclist who knows the rules and his rights as a legal vehicle.

It might also be worth looking around the vicinity of your workplace for alternative destinations. A YMCA or health club or train station with bike lockers or something like that.

And yes, exploring options directly with someone in management may open doors that seem closed, regarding indoor parking and use of facilties. Maybe someone at your company knows someone at the client that would have an open mind.

Good luck. Commuting to suburban destinations can be problematic sometimes, because even more than in the city it's a car-centric culture where alternative transportation concepts aren't easily introduced. My hat's off to you for trying.

RichC

Thanks for the advice. To answer some questions:

-- The ride would be 15 miles. On a typical humid Philadelphia morning, I would be sufficiently sweaty.

-- I am bald, so hair care is not a worry. :)

-- Theft risk is a serious matter. There are a lot of shady people working for this company. I manage people, so I worry about vandalism in retaliation for terminations.

-- Riding to the other office in my work clothes is an option. It's only two miles up the street. Even in really hot weather I'd probably be OK in my work clothes.

This will be a challenge, I guarantee that.

Ugh... maybe instead of changing your routine you need to change your job :)

Hey what if you got a folding bike? Ride to work, fold it up and stick it under your desk. OK, not too practical...

So far I'm lucky at work... my bike is sitting behind me in my "cube" (well... rectangle). However, we move to a new building in October and there's a no food at the desks rule there so I'm guessing bikes in the cube will be verboten.

I have used a lightweight backpacking tarp as a bike cover before and it worked pretty good (used a few rubber bands to hold it onto the bike.

I ride 20 miles in 90 + heat into work in the morning and find I do pretty good without a shower as long as I remember to cool down before the end of the ride. Granted I don't have a lot of hills.

Difficulties are there just' waiting to be overcome!

You're telling me. :)

Upon seeing me carry my bike into the building the other day (I store it in an empty cube next to where I sit), some one made the comment:

"10-speed at your desk equals 10-minutes to vacate the premises."

I just smiled, told him it was a 24-speed, and kept on walking in. ;-)

I don' t have showers or even an outdoor bike rack. There's no "policy" against riding to work, but the culture here sure is against it. Probably 1 in 50 people here where I work exercises on a regular basis...

You must work at a hospital, like I do, for the exersize rate to be that low!:D

Here's a possible solution to a couple of your problems. What is you nightime security like? Can you leave your car in the parking lot w/o damage/theft?

My security is good, so this is what I do. On Mon. I drive to work with my bike IN my vehicle and I bring my riding clothes and a change of clothes for the following day. After work, I ride home. The next day I ride TO work, I have a clean set of clothes, put my bike in my vehicle and drive home that night. Then repeat. That way, I always have my vehicle, and a clean set of clothes. My commute is 16 miles, so in the mornings I come direct and it takes me just under an hour. On the way home, I'll extend my route and tack on another 5 to 10 miles. That way, I'm getting at least 64 miles in during the week and up to 80. I sometimes end my Sat. ride at the office, so that way, I ride Mon/Tues, Wed/Thur. Fri/Sat. Then rest or do something else on Sunday. That gives me my 150 miles per week average I like to maintain.

I'm married, so if and when I need a vehicle those nights my truck is at the office, I use my wife's.

As far as the shower, Old Spice or Arm and Hammer, (Can't remember which) has these deoderant wipes that work really well. I live along the Gulf Coast of FL, so I know full well about heat and humidity. No matter how much of a cool down, it's still hot! Those wipes work very well for the days you ride in.

This would reduce you weekly milage by more than half, but half is better than ALL.

L8R

Unfortunately not. Our security sucks. Cars are vandalized all the time.

Regardless, I can't leave my car at work. It's our only vehicle and my wife is pregnant. She won't fit on the back of my bike. :D

I live in one of the most humid climates in the world and don't use a shower. If you have a shower before you leave, ride slightly within yourself on the commute (which generally won't add more than about five minutes anyway) and carry a change of clothes and deodorant, you'll be OK.

Get a crappy old beater bike to ride to work. This is what I have done, since having my own bike stolen from work a couple of months ago. The other advantage of a beater bike, is that the weather can do whatever it feels like to it.

What's your public transport system like? Even if it sucks, you'll probably save enough money from commuting by bike to more than cover the cost of the occasional cab fare.

The best thing to do is pick a Saturday morning to actually ride the routes in question to determine what best suits you. A lot of the places I ride are supposedly "cycle unfriendly", but you can never tell from the inside of a car. If you really want to know how bike friendly a stretch of road is, you need to ride it.

I pretty much with Rich and Chris on the shower thing I have one at work and never use it if you shower before you leave give yourself cool down time and wipe with a cold damp towel it will help. I have used Dove wipes since they have no alcohol ( I have eczema) they work well. I ride a 14 years old uglified Sequoia A sturdy work bike but no one wants to steal it. Make sure you take in every thing that is not bolted down and when it is raining I carry a plastic grocery bag in my seat bag and tie it around my seat to keep it dry. It definitely sounds like you are working in an anti bike culture. The only reason it isn't where I work is that the owner commutes too!

I don't mean to gloat. I guess I still find it surprising that some places can be so hostile towards bike-commuting. Every job I've had the employer has encouraged cycling to one extent or another. At the very least, they've never made it difficult. Currently I work from home so commuting isn't really an issue but my company's headquarter is in Mountain View, CA and I travel to the Bay Area often (once a week for a couple of days). I always stay at the same hotel when I'm there as does anyone else from my company. I am starting to consider buying a bike down there and keeping it at the office. I see at least a couple of people keeping bikes in their cubes. The hotel I stay at (Cardinal in Palo Alto) even has indoor bicycle parking.

Perhaps writing a letter to upper management explaining your plight and the advantages of bike-commuting might help?

Just wanted to update y'all on my progress.

Since truthfully my biggest concern is vandalism or theft, I spoke with Building Services about the matter and their stance is, "There's a bike rack outside. Use it."

Currently at this location this particular company has one employee out of three thousand that commutes to work on a bike. I spoke to him yesterday and it was an interesting conversation. He rides three miles to work on a really old, ugly mountain bike. In the two years he's worked here, his bike has been vandalized three times. The first time was a walk-by tire slashing, after which he started taking his front wheel and seat with him into the building each morning. The second time his brake cables were cut. Finally, just a few months ago, somebody damaged his rear derailleur with either a good kick or possibly a hammer.

He also told me that the company "investigated" all three situations and never found out who perpetrated the vandalism. In all three cases, the guy was never compensated at all for the damage, apparently somewhere in the employment contract it states the company is not responsible for property damage.

So it seems riding an ugly bike to work is not the answer. People at this company seem to be bent on vandalizing other people's property. So far this year there have been three cases of cars being vandalized that I know of. Tire slashing, keying the paint, broken windows, etc.

Maybe a folding bike is the answer for you. Some if them, like Brompton, seem to have quite a following.

Paul

Is there a safer place for you to rack your bike a mile or so back? Then you can run or walk the last bit.

He he. Can't afford another bike. I'm tapped. :)

If you can find more interested commuters maybe you'll reach critical mass and you can get bike lockers installed. That assumes you've got one of those companies in town that will rent you a locker.

The local university here has a bunch... very effective.

What does *your* employment contract say? If I understood you correctly you are not employed by the company you physically work at, but by another company. If this other company is responsible for property damage they might be interested in helping you to find a safer place to park your bike.

--J

I think maybe you should probably just find another job altogether. It sounds like it's a pretty dysfunctional place overall.

I agree. The job market sucks and I have a baby on the way. Now is the worst time to be job-hopping.

How absurd. Get yourself as sweaty and smelly as possible on the ride in, and schedule as many meetings first thing in the morning with the person resposible for this ridiculous policy.

I wonder why. You can get bike tarps that will shelter it from the rain, but that doesn't solve the vandalism/theft issue. Have you tried contacting the local bike advocacy group? They might be able to convince a recalcitrant company about benefits of encouraging bike use when an individual can't.

You could also ask around and see if anyone else wants to ride but faces the same obstacles that you have. In a company of 3000 you should be able to find at least a dozen or so. Get them all to bombard the pinhead with the 'there's a rack outside, use it' attitude with requests for better bike parking. Politely, of course ;)

Having a bike handy is ideal for just such a situation.

Sometimes you just have to get used to hectic traffic. The sooner a cyclist gets skilled at using busy roads the better, and you don't learn that skill on the bike path.

Perhaps rather than swapping jobs you could investigate being transferred to a more amenable client.

Other than that, you may just have to bide your time until the opportunity arises to change jobs.

I noticed that phrasing it in such a way as telling whoever is in charge that they might get a better parking spot in the morning work well.:)