need your help to argue against mall manager!
 

Okay guys, heres my situation:

I almost got ticketed for $1,200 because I park and chain my bike to a drain pipe inside the mall everyday I go to work. The bike chained to the pipes is hazardous to the safety of the people within the mall. Security and I discussed it further and he put me off with a warning instead of calling the fire marshal. But he made very clear I could no longer park there.

Thats the thing: there is no where else to park the bike inside the mall that is "safe." I'm simply not comfortable locking a 1200 dollar bike (commuter, racer, and century bike) to the bike rack outside 40 hours a week which sees very high traffic every day. I have an appointment to speak to the mall manager regarding this problem but I'm sure a lot of mall employees who ride their bike to work are affected by this!

here is my argument so far:
1. A bike rack outside in broad daylight is not viable---it's meant for customers who come shopping and stay 1-2 hours max.
2. requesting (and will get a petition from every store in the mall if i have to) to have a designated employee bike parking area within the mall that is low traffic to customers.


can anyone else think of things i can say that would back up this idea? also, if you think i'm being dramatic and illogical, let me know.

Before meeting with the mall manager, you will probably want to find who these employees are that are affected and get their stories. Where are they parking?

So far, it just sounds like one person with a problem. Companies these days don't make accommodations for a single person. Especially since you've run aground with the fire marshal already, I wouldn't recommend trying to affect change by yourself.

Seems like a "high traffic" area would be perfect for locking up a bike. Don't thieves tend to avoid these kind of scenes?

Do you work at a store in the mall? If so maybe you could lock your bike up inside the store you work at, maybe in an employees only area? If your employer refuses to give you free accommodations, I don't think that should force the mall management to give you free accommodations. Have you thought about offering to pay for (or help contribute towards) the type of parking facility you feel should be installed? If it's not going to increase the number of consumers spending money in the mall, store owners/mall management probably won't consider it worth spending any money on.

Yeah, it would help if you had a few other people that want better facilities (heck, even if it's just getting a few of your friends to say they think providing bike parking is good, even if they don't bike). I doubt you are the only one that bikes though. You may suggest that the mall invest in a few bike lockers for employees to rent...that's starting to be pretty standard.

by leaving it in a high traffic area, it makes it easy for theives to catch on how often u lock ur bike there and how long. i work til closing sometimes so they can easily steal it when the mall is closed and dark and i'm still inside.

A small point perhaps but I fail to see what the City Fire Marshall has to do with a drain pipe. It's not like you tied your bike to one of the sprinkler head pipes or the hydrant they would need to put out a fire. Or is this a designated fire marshall for the mall only?

Also, tossing in some info about how bicycle commuting is on the rise due to high gasoline prices might be worth throwing in there.

Also, deliver the message in the form of a letter.

Also, if you continue to hit a road block, and if you have a local news weekly, Write to their editor. Nothing like press to get action.

Also, inquire with your local bike dealers. They may have encountered this before and have some advice.

Best of luck to you.

Until this is resolved I would source out a decent beater as there is no way I would leave a $1200.00 bike locked to a rack all day as even if the bike stays locked, parts will go missing.

Bike lockers or a larger community lockup might be a viable solution.

the drain pipe is somehow tied to the sprinker head pipes. i dunno, i turned the whole corner into my closet, hang my shoes here, hang my helmet on this wheel, etc.

The speed with which some bike thieves operate. I think not. Hope the mall manager will be reasonable. Best of luck. ..You need a union. There are so many unused private storage areas, this is a ridicilious situation. Bikes are much cheaper than cars. Its just a society with no concern for those who can't afford a car or choose to be car free. If they don't relent. You need a union. You can't ride an affordable bike to work, they need triple your wages so you can buy a cheap car.

It is likely part of the sprinkler system or even of greater concern, it may be a stand pipe. A stand pipe is a normally dry pipe that firemen acn attachthere hoses to supply fire hose connections throwout a facility. They are required in high rise buildings.

Where is the security office? Make friends with them and store the bike either outside their door or a convenient area inside security.

Say in your letter that you hold them personally responsible for the safety of your bike, if required to chain it in their proposed location. Put the onus back on them. Also, ask that they install a security camera at that location and post signs indicating that there is video surveillance. This would also be a benefit to mall customers, showing how the mall is sensitive to the needs of their patrons.

You a member of a union ?

I would use like 3 different locks to lock my bike to the rack.
Leave the locks locked to the rack when you're not there so you don't have to carry them with you on the bike.
I don't think any thief is going to want to spend the time, in broad daylight, in a crowded area, to work through 3 different locks.

In this labor market you actually think a mall manager would care about an employees' losses. An employee becomes a problem workers area a dime a dozen. Out the door with you.

I personally wouldn't go to management with guns blazing and a list of your demands, I would have a list of other commuters that the employee parking would help, and explain your concerns with the accommodations as they are now. The way I see it, you are asking them to give you something out of the kindness of their heart.........after all they do have a place to lock your bike. I Think if you go in calmly and explain the situation you may find that they probably hadn't given it much thought and would be happy to accommodate. If that doesn't work and you can't find another place to store your wheels.......find a beater.

Honestly, I'd just go pick up a crap bike at the salvation army and ride that.

Try to work with the guy. Explain your concerns and ask how they can help both you and others in the same boat. People, generally, like to help nice folks but don't respond well to demands, threats, or whining. It's not what you say...

Is a more modest bike and a couple of moderately-good locks out of the question? Doesn't sound like you have any leverage to work with. They should supply adequate bike facilities for customers/employees but that doesn't mean they will. Are there any PR angles to work? Local media interest?

Why not buy a beater for commuting and park it outside?

Do what my wife and I did, we bought a clunker Plymouth mini van and parked it at her work so that she could put her bike in it while at work.
Then just park it at the mall.

did he explain how it was a hazard to attach a bike to a drain pipe?


is there not room in the "back room" of where you work to lock it up?

WOO HOO!!! Mobile Bike Storage!!

Great!...until the van (with the bike in it) gets towed away.

+1. Not worth getting fired because you couldn't spare a day's pay for a cheaper ride.

Sounds like it'll be a tough sell. A strategy of "If you don't accommodate me, my bike will get stolen" will probably not work. Likewise "I'm going to sue you if someone takes my bike" is a non-starter. Ideally, you should think of some way to have the mall manager feel that he will benefit if he finds a solution.

All I can think of is finding some way that adding a bike rack can be good PR for the mall. Tell him that perhaps they can get a local TV news story out of accommodating bike riders. Tell him that you'll come up with proposals, research ideas, etc. He doesn't have to make a decision now, but you'd do the work, and he can reap the benefits.

Press Release

San Jose Mall goes green by encouraging workers to ride to work. The Maxi-buy mall today provided employees with a secure bike storage area so that they would feel comfortable riding bikes into work. "It's a small thing, but we all want to do our part," says mall manager, Bob Smiley...

I can only think of a few options:

1. Buy a beater bike as others have mentioned, and put all your gear on quick releases so you don't have to leave your lights and computer and stuff on the bike (if you have all that "stuff" on your bike).

2. As others have mentioned, play up the bicycle friendly approach to encourage more people to bicycle to the mall. The backfire to this is if they require employees to park in the outermost reaches of the parking lot then they might now want employees using the storeside bicycle racks.

3. If you work in a store try to get the store manager to incorporate your bike into a display of some sort, maybe in the front glass enclosed display case. Manikin (what's the female form of the word "manikin"?) standing there in pedal pushers and a jersey from the store inventory if your store sells clothing, adjust the display for your store's merchandise.

4. Like others have said, find your local community activist news reporter and play up the angle that on your minimum mall employee wages and the highest in the nation California gas prices that you a riding out of need, plus it can be fun, but there is no real secure place to park your bike.

Let us know what happens.

Parking a beater bike to a light pole in the outermost corner of the paking lot might get the bike mistaken as an abandoned bike, but maybe find a $2 rummage sale bike and get a $3 lock and hang one out there as a test to see how long it lasts. Then document it as ammo for your defense that parking even a beater bike out there isn't a good or viable option.

I worked in a mall for 10 years. Make friends with maintenance. You can probably store your bike in the maintenance area. Malls usually have a large area for that with all the cleaning tractors and lot cleaning equipment, not to mention security vehicles. There should be some corner in there that maintenance people would be OK with...especially if you buy them a beer ocassionally.

One argument is that you save the mall a parking spot. That's got to be good for something.

If others did the same, that benefit might be substantial.