no bike "policy"
 

So my wife, bless her heart, she decided to ride to her road bike to college this morning to do some work in the lab (I tagged along since she hasn't rode into work/college, ever). It's a Saturday, a small amount of people are around (2 people in the entire building that I noticed). However, 1 of the 2 was a security gaurd. While I waited to hear if she was good to go on keeping her bike in one of the empty classrooms (they were *all* empty), the security gaurd passed by me through the entry way into the building (building is in a downtown area by the way), rudely said "You can't keep that here"... but, yeah, I had no intentions of leaving my bike in the entry way anyways. I wasn't even going inside the building, not sure why he thought I was going to leave it there... I'm pretty sure it was obvious I was going to be leaving. So I just told him "I'm simply waiting for someone, then I'll leave". So, while my wife is on one of the upper floors getting everything situated, the same security gaurd goes over to her, tells her "it's school policy to not allow bikes in the building". I'm not sure, but I'm calling BS. Why wouldn't it be ok for someone to bike commute somewhere and leave his or her bike where it won't be in *anyones* way. Just seems to me that the security gaurd was puffing his chest & ego a little bit - I'm thinking it's his idea, not a policy. Then he tells her there are bike racks outside. Sorry, here in Peoria, there aren't too many nice Cannondales around - let alone nice road bikes. The bike culture is near 0% here - besides me and maybe a handful of ther people. I'm not about to leave her bike, even with a chain, attached to a rickety old bike rack, in the middle of downtown. A--hole.

Is it rude of me to ask to see the school policy to see where this rule is written?

It's policy on campus here: There are plenty of bicycles here. I occasionally violated that rule but my building is so seldom frequented that nobody complained. If I was walking my bike through a major hallway and campus security saw me, I would fully expect to be told not to bring my bike inside. The policy might exist for a practical reason, and while it isn't applicable all the time, it should probably be enforced equally and fairly. If it is school policy (like it is here) then the security guard was just doing his job.

Sucks to be you guys. My friends who work at the University of MN can always find space inside where they can park their bikes.

Yeah, and I totally understand that. But the guy could have let it slide on a dead Saturday morning... aka quit being such a ninny! I still want to see where the policy is written... I don't see it on the college's website. Oh well. Thankfully my work place backs me 100%... I guess I'm just spoiled.

For whatever reason, my company cracked down on bikes in the building, enforced by the security guards we have to get by at the entrance. I, uh, did some emailing voicing my opinion about the matter and solutions to the crappy bike racks we were supposed to use. The email ended up in a VP's office, and the end result was bike lockers for us right outside the entrance.

The security guard who told me about the enforced policy was pretty apologetic at the time. I'm sure he was just doing what he was told. If his personality had been different, I'm sure he'd have enjoyed the power of authority over me. But Frank and I got along great... :-)

Obviously, the security is not cool. However, I would respectfully apologize, thank him for the warning, and promise him that it wouldn't happen again. Next time I'd see him, I'd give him a ten dollar gift certificate to McDonald's or something.

That's just because I'd want to keep my wife safe and fully protected when I'm not there.

Who knows? The next time, you might get your bike personally invited into the campus police station, for safe keeping.

PS.

I wouldn't bother about the particulars with respect to school policy...That just might be enough to stir the bees in the hive!

I can imagine a student seeing him make one exception on a Saturday morning, then on Monday half a dozen students wheeling their bikes in, leaving them in the hallways, riding into classrooms and so on.

It's against policy on my campus to keep bikes in office/lab/class buildings. It's against policy because of ADA and fire code requirements.

Is there a specific reason why you don't park at local bike racks? Don't want to carry locks? Unsure how best to lock up your bike? Insufficient number, location, or types of racks?

My guess is that if people filled the hallways with bikes, they would be in violation of fire codes. So they have a blanket rule of no bikes in buildings.

I always travel around with a 5lb cable lock, and always with the thought that no one is going to let me store my bike inside. If I find that I'm allowed to store my bike inside, I'll consider it an added bonus.

We have a few workers in my building who either park in their cubes/offices, or a few staffers on the 4th floor park their bikes together next to all of the lateral files near the back stairs (but not in the way of emergency egress, even with 2-3 bikes back there). I am one of the former. Most do use the bike racks out in front and alongside the building. I even have an old carpet protector on the floor in my cube so the bike doesn't ruin the carpet tiles in the winter.

I think on our campus the policy is set by the building managers... and I have now outlived three of them, possibly four depending on how one reads the org charts, and none of them have said anything to any of us who park inside. Actually, building manager #4 parked her bike in her cube.

Hey kevmk! You're a neighbor of mine. I live across the river. It's neat to see someone local.

Sometimes security people do make up their own rules on the spot. Yet some buildings also do ban bikes out of safety fears. You wouldn't be rude inquiring after the actual policy. If you waited just a bit, then that one particular guard probably wouldn't even figure out that you were questioning him.

But I also like the advice about making friends with him. If he's not big enough to meet you on that, you'll be able to figure it out pretty quickly.

You're concerned about parking your bike outside. My remedy might not appeal to you, but I'll toss it out there anyway.

I ride a very cheap bike. If it gets stolen it'll be an annoyance, but no worse than that. I'll simply build another one out of the parts that I've gathered up.

I miss my old office, where I parked my bike on the window still and never botched about a lock. But I do have access to a secure bike room and notice that some of the people there don't bother with locks. I do.

Toughest workout of the day is the hill out of the parking garage.

This is the most probable reason for such a policy; however there is a big assumption that bikes will be stored in a manner that inhibits emergency egress or that people will try to take their bikes with them in an emergency evac. Why not just address these issues in a policy rather than banning. I work at Duke U. and do not believe that we have any institutional policy that bans bikes from buildings; however you rarely see them inside. I would guess that this is an issue that is resolved between employee and manager (and/or building committee if there is one). I have room to store mine in my office and have never been challenged.

-G

All the buildings here have a no bikes thing posted on the doors, but nobody cares. Security has more to worry about than roaming around searching for bikes.

Advantage to a folding bike such as Brompton , is they can go in places
that are small.
like under the desk, or in a closet,
and there are even sewn covers to wrap them up in
to not even say 'bike' looking at them.

The policy makes sense, they don't want a bunch of people bringing bikes in on a busy day and cluttering up the place. However, the security guard should have realized that the rational behind the policy did not apply in this case (the building was empty), and so an exception was called for.

Some people are bound by rules and policy - they are simple, and can't employ reason. Sometimes if you are calm and patient with these people you can make them understand, usually though it's like reasoning with a brick wall.

Our building has a no bikes sign in the outdoor lobby, but that's to keep the students from parking them all willy-nilly about the place and make them use the racks out in front.

At my old job at a small college I was able to bring my bike insider and put it a number of places in my department if I wanted. Alot of the times I locked it up outside though because it was easier to do that I didn't see the need to clutter things up inside with the bike if there was no reason. I never had a problem taking it inside, but I had been part of that department as either a student or a student employee for a number of years so they would have done just about anything for me and still would even though I don't work there anymore.

At my current job if I need to bring my bike inside for any reason I could ask and my wish would be granted, but space is really a premium. I figure sometime I will forget my bike lock or something of that nature and I'll need to store it inside probably in my office. My current parking space is right outside the window where co-workers sit so I have plenty of surveillance of my bike. =) The only downside of that so far is that when someone mowed the lawn while I was at work it got grass clippings all over my bike. Oh well. Co-workers are pretty supportive and let me know if there is rain coming although I am usually prepared with rain gear so its not a big deal. People know I ride and for the most part they don't think I am too crazy. My clients think its pretty cool.

Yes, some people are bound by rules and policy - that is, most people who are doing a job. Don't assume that someone is "simple" because you can't bring your bike wherever you feel like - security guards have a job to do, and shouldn't be expected to potentially risk those jobs in order to make your day a tiny bit easier.

Case in point - in my office building, policy was, in the past, not to allow bikes inside the building. Some idiotically over-entitled people went so far as to berate our security guards about this rule, to the point of belittling them personally. Our security guards are not only generally well-known and liked in the building, they are also people with a job to do - and, as in many publicly accessible buildings, have the added layer of security cameras around the building which will enable their supervisors to discipline them when they're not following the rules exactly.

Solution? I had our office manager speak to the management company and request that bicycles be allowed in the building. That required neither giving our security guards a hard time, or any assumption that they were too stupid to realize that I am entitled to do anything I'd like in the building where I work. Now our building allows bicycles inside - though I generally still lock mine up outside, at the bike racks, like a normal person.

Changing a school policy in Peoria may not be as easy as it was for me to do in my office building in Chicago - but politely asking facilities management will probably go a lot farther than calling someone an a-hole on the internet.

Go to his boss and see if it is a written policy.

True... point taken. However, I was turned off initially by the way he spoke to me in the foyer... which is why I gave him the title I did. I don't belittle security gaurds, but he belittled me when he first stepped through the door. And just for the record, the rack that is outside of the building is one of the worst I've ever seen (and worst spots also). Anyways, that was her one time 'hey I want to ride to work/class' thing. I'm certain we won't need to worry about it anymore... unfortunately. If the area is a little more trustworthy, I would be more than happy to have her use a nice bike lock. I guess the best way to go is to use a junker bike when you're in a not-so-good area, just as bluegoatwoods mentioned. I only feel entitled when there are no good options for bike parking... it's belittling us by not considering it a way as normal commuting & providing what's essentially the porta-potty of rack choices.

Then you need to take it up with management about getting better parking facilities.

Well said threecarjam.

I'm not sure which there are more of:

• Security guards who make up random policies to cover their foibles
• Security guards who have to enforce silly policies they don't agree with
• Losers who berate security guards enforcing just enforcing policies they don't control

Need to rise above the situation and take it on in the right way.

BTW, you have no right to demand a security guard show it to you in writing, but you should have every right to ask them to cite the policy being enforced (if only to self-educate in order to comply ;) ) and then revisit it after the fact if it was fabricated.