ctyler

When my parents were in the hospital last year, I would ride my bike to visit them three or four times a day. It's a little over a mile so driving would have been more than stupid. To my surprise, there was no bike parking. I'd lock up my bike to a light stanchion across from the main entrance. The only bike parking is in back of the building at the employee entrance. Yesterday afternoon I delivered a letter to the CEO of the hospital and clinic pointing out the lack of bike parking.

"I find it amazing that the Beloit Health System whose stated mission “...is to be the leader in regional health and wellness services...” does not provide bicycle parking at the hospital or at the clinic. In fact, by not providing bicycle parking, you actually discourage people using a bicycle to visit the hospital or clinic."

I wonder if I'll hear from the CEO?

dcrowell

Two hospitals near me have bike racks. A third is downtown and has marked bike parking in the garage (free!). I haven't ridden to the other ones.

My issue is the suburban "medical centers". Every one I've had an appointment to has not had bike parking. I manage to find something to lock to, but it's annoying.

poormanbiking

Remember hospitals only make money when your ill. Why try to promote a healthy mode of transportation.

Suburban

There's a lack of bike parking at medical clinics around here. I doubt they're hoping we're sick. We have UHC and there are plenty of patients even if we were all healthier.

I think it's just thoughtlessness.

Suburban

I have been cycling more and finding that most places have decent bike racks in visible areas. The hospital has bike racks with a roof and so does the dentist. It's just the dr's office that didn't think of bike racks. They don't really have space unless they took out a parking space and replaced it with a bike rack.

Pobble.808

I get most of my health care at a large urban HMO. It is clearly in their interest to promote my health because they are collecting my premium payment every month anyway, and when I do require their services my out-of-pocket payments are pretty minimal.

There's a bike rack on the sidewalk in front of the building that was installed by the city, maximum capacity 4 bikes. I've never seen any other racks on the premises, but then I haven't had to look because I've always been able to use that sidewalk rack.

Roody

Good luck. The hospital I work at just put in bike racks at both campuses. But they're pretty crappy bike racks!

As an employee, I locked to a railing in an inner parking lot for a long time. That's where security had suggested that I park, because it was on camera and not obstructing anything. Then I had a front wheel tacoed, and the replacement wheel stolen. I started parking in an indoor storage/break room in the basement. It"s real nice because I can also change clothes there, and spread out wet clothing to dry.

One guard didn't like me taking my bike in the building. He laid in wait for me for an entire week before he caught me. He told me I couldn't bring a bike in there because it's a patient care area--which was a total lie. The other guards told me this guy was a Barney Fife, and I shouldn't worry because he was being transferred to the other campus soon. So I still park my bike in my nice little spot.

Roody

I think most hospitals are committed to wellness and disease prevention. They usually sponsor classes and programs to help people stay fit and healthy. And any hospital should be interestedat least in keeping its own employees healthy.

My hospital also owns an insurance company, an HMO, and a huge fitness club, so they have a financial interest in fitness and health.

sauerwald

I have a history of heart disease, and gave my cardiologist a hard time about the office not having bike parking. His advice was to bring the bike into the waiting room and ask the receptionist to watch it - he felt that it might be a good reminder to other patients in the practice!

Smallwheels

I think hospitals only hold wellness seminars to capture sick people. Do one heart screening and get just one person who they say needs immediate bypass surgery and they rake in at least $60,000. That is a huge payoff. That alone would pay for all of the heart screenings for over a year. Such businesses don't do anything that won't turn a profit. It makes sense for them to pull in potential clients by doing outreach events. At the same time they appear to be caring corporations. I don't believe any corporation in the medical field wants people to be healthy. They want paying customers. Healthy people don't pay a lot.

Artkansas 

You are supposed to drive. How dare you ride a bike to the hospital. The nerve!

Suburban

Whether they hold wellness seminars to find customers or not, isn't finding someone with a heart problem a good thing? Call me naive, we don't have for-profit hospitals here. Isn't the whole point of my wellness check-ups to make sure I am actually well? During one of my check-ups I pointed out that I sometimes get light-headed and have a rapid heartbeat. Follow up found a common heart valve abnormality. I have routine exams and everythings been fine. No medications required. Just making sure it doesn't get worse.

Seems to me wellness seminars are worth it whatever their intentions are.

wahoonc

So take out ONE car space and make room for a dozen bikes....what is the issue? I have had the same conversation with the idiots at the local strip mall. "A bike rack will clutter up the sidewalk"..."we can't afford to loose any car spaces"...yada, yada, yada. And FWIW I have NEVER seen the parking lot completely full, hell I don't think I have ever seen it over half full, except when snow is predicted, then it is full of people buying milk and bread or beer and chips.

Aaron

Suburban

Hold on, that is a mindblowing solution! A space originally planned for a car, being taken away from cars and being used for something else? But it's a carpark. What happens to the car that would have gone there? Why can't those cyclists just drive there? Then they could circle around the parking space deficient clinic until a space opened up like everyone else... So confusing...

Artkansas 

And real soon there will be only one parking space for the car. Maybe none. A mighty slippery slope you are on...

Parking spaces should always be N+1. No?

gerv 

Actually if you take your doctor's advice, the problem will be soon solved. If cyclists did this all the time, you'd soon see new racks installed.

DX-MAN

Reminds me a bit of my situation....

My management allows me to bring my bike in the building, and store it in the corner of the backroom where I work -- "as long as I don't work on it on company time" -- yet, there is always some schmuck who's full of him/herself, and tries to tell me I can't have the bike inside. (OOPS -- they're even teaching new hires that bikes aren't allowed in the building -- meaning CUSTOMER bikes, but they don't differentiate) It only happens about once a year, but it's annoying that these people, who KNOW I work there, want to flex on me like that. I have to recite the usual -- "management says I can, I will NOT lock this high-dollar machine outside where the barbarians can get to it, been doing it for a decade now" -- they usually subside, but it takes the display of a bit of attitude from me.

Funny, though -- of the last three, two have been fired (for other reasons, but still.... and HEY, I didn't do it!)

daibutsu

I boycott any establishment that has frontage sans bikerack; the worst are bikestores without them, what are they thinking!?. I changed banks after I gave them a two week warning; the teller said i could bring the bike in, but I didn't see people lugging their cars in so that was the end of that (now two years later they've somehow "seen the light"). Just yesterday was planning on lunching at a "Copper Canyon" restaurant in Silver Spring, MD, locked up out front on a metal grating (was meeting friends and it is kinda a pedestrian mall with other racks) the hostess came out and said to move my bike, ok; we all simply went elsewhere.

smasha

i've been thinking about this, as the local hospital has no bike parking. the de facto bike parking is along a partially covered railing, not far from a fully covered "no smoking" area that would be PERFECT for bike parking, and usually occupied by people smoking cigarettes.

quoting from the mission statement and such is a great idea! of course they SAY they promote health and well-being... that and pointing out that what's needed is PROPER bike parking, not just a wheel-bender.

DX-MAN

Awesome sarc!

I get my health care through the VA; the local VA hospital is about 7 miles away. The only times I WOULDN'T ride there were the first month after breaking my ankle, and when I was too sick/crippled up to ride.

unterhausen

I had some blood taken last week at the hospital. I was going to ride my bike, but I decided not to because of the hassle. After I drove, I really wished I had ridden, but I don't think anyone rides there. The only time I've ever ridden there before, I was just getting my car. I left it and my wife picked me up after surgery.

Roody

What hassle? I work at a hospital and ride my bike there every day with no hassle. When I go to a different hospital for my own health care, I have no hassles there either.

Andy2302

I rode to a Dick's Sport store last week ~ no place to lock up the bike!
Let me add. City & town zoning have a say in the number of parking spaces for most construction/rehab. In my town the business would need a permit to remove a parking place.

folder fanatic

I would be surprised that you will ever get any response-even from his secretary. If it does not make money or life/business easier for them (not you), it would not happen. My father was in the hospital several years ago for heart ailments/quadruple bypass surgery. Unfortunately for both him, my mother and myself it happened during the last transit strike that lasted 5 weeks. Even after the strike, the public transit close up shop after 11 pm or 12 midnight. Without a car, you are stuck. Unless you have a bike. Not just any bike. A special collapsible bike that can be bagged & hidden from prying critical eyes while you go see your loved one. My old Dahon folding bike step up to the plate when I could not take my other bikes due to the very real possibility (or more like a real probability of 100% being vandalized or stolen while I am inside in spite of locking it up). I chucked the other bikes that I could not use and now just keep folding/separating ones. I don't passively wait for others to take care of me, my needs, or my bikes anymore. A waste of time.

I am glad that you have an nice private secure place for your bike. But for a visitor at a hospital, that option does not work-especially around here.

I made arraignments with my dentist about my folding bikes should I opt-or rather forced due to a transit strike-to take them to the office. That is why I patronize his business.

I don't need a rack. I need a safe secure and accessible day or night bike cage of some sort manned by a security guard. Not likely to happen.

Another above example of someone depending on another's good graces in order to keep his/her bike in a secure spot.

A hidden bike is a welcome sight.

SweetNightmare

A folding bike is not the solution for everyone though. What about clydes and athenas that would be pushing the weight limits? Commuters that need to drag their stuff with them every time? People that run errands with their bike like grocery shopping; that stuff's not light! Bottom line is more public institutions need to provide more bicycle racks so we can safely lock up our vehicle of choice. Plus to get a good quality folder that's worth your time, you're spending much more than you would for an entry level normal bicycle. I think it would be neat to own a folder, but it just wasn't plausible in my personal situation, let alone others' situations.