How will a transit strike affect messenger work?
 

More? Less? The same?

Next week is going to be rediculous.

it's not gonna happen, and if it does it will be over before monday

those transit peeps are getting greedy. 8% every year for the next 3 years. Thats a big raise and it's not like they get low wages. The lowest wage is 20 per hour and goes up to 30 per hour.

I hope it happens though, it'll force people to walk and bike. But it being so cold, I think people will just end up getting into fights over cabs.

wangster is an imperialist!!

I heard that messengers will be required to carry 1-2 passengers upon entering and leaving the busy districts if the strike happens.

Anybody know of a good, secluded place to lock up near Times Square?

I am in the middle of a "negotiation" of sorts with my office building. This is what I sent the building manager:

"In anticipation of a transit strike, I plan on riding my bike to work. When I've done this before, I was prohibited by the security guards from bringing the bike into the building or through the lobby, even though I was just going to stash it in my office or in other empty space within my firm's offices for the day. I am averse to locking it up outside in Times Square for a full day, since I don't want it or anything on it stolen.

Since this Friday could, arguably, present unique circumstances, is there any way we could get building management to permit bikes in the building on Friday or whatever other strike days may follow?"

And this was their response:

"We are still working out plans however, the building will have a bike rack in the loading dock and we will not be responsible for your bike."

This is good, I guess, but our loading dock is a pretty easy-in, easy-out situation. Anybody got any secret spots in the vicinity?

yeah, their demands are pretty intense and their performance isn't all that impressive. when they bother to make understandable announcements, then i'll support a raise.

meatwad--er, i mean, sirrus

4 times square, the conde nast building, has bike racks in their loading dock used by messengers and commuters. no one will give you trouble if you roll your bike right in, hang it on the wall, lock it, and walk out. that's what i'd do.

also, did you ever try bringing your bike up to your office via the freight elevator? most buildings are cool with that, as long as your actual office is.

You should find your building manager and punch him in the balls. If I could hook you up and get you in my employee only building corridor stash space, I would. I'll ask a security guard later if this'll fly. I'm 99% sure the answer is "no". Unless you can fabricate a fake ID. How awesome would that be. Making a fake ID so you can lock your bike up without having to worry about it getting stolen.

Screw modern life.

Boots--
Thanks for the info. That could be helpful if my building flakes out (which would not be a surprise).

As in, "Due to a smsdoke condition at Estmd Brsaday, this F train . . . asdasldas . . . saglsjet . . . G line."?

Thanks. I already had a near screaming match with him about it once before, and my inability to bring the bike into the building is, sadly, one of the main reasons I don't commute by bike. I tried to get him to understand that the bike would be in the lobby for about 2 seconds a day (I would even take the freight elevator), but no dice.

surely there is another, non-lobby entrace to the freight elevator?

Doubtful. Building managers are pretty inflexible on this. I work not far from TS as well & lock my bike outside. My handlebars & stem were stolen once. I've talked to the bldg manager AND the head of HR in my department, who in turn talked to the Bldg Mgr. Every time, the answer was no. And it was a pretty dry, inflexible, "i don't give a ***** about your stupid bike" no. I tried to sneak it by the guys in the loading dock, but they said they'd have to clear it with the Bldg Mgr. No dice again. They're afraid of retribution, I guess. I'd have no problem bringing it in the freight up to my office & stashing it there, but the no-freight excuse is some BS liability reason. "If your bike was damaged, we wouldn't be liable". It made so little sense, I didn't even have a response to it.

That being said, I almost hope the transit strike happens. It sounds like a biker's paradise. Closing 5th ave to all but emergency vehicles? Forcing carpooling? Awesome.

People I work with are asking me how to layer to commute to work... pretty cool. Get cher bike on!@

This is basically the problem I encountered as well, and none of my highly honed lawyer skills were capable of convincing the maintenance/security nimrods that I was making sense. Also, it's hard to argue convincingly while wearing a bike helmet.

Dude building managers f***ing suck so goddamned hard. Arrrrgh. I wanted smash the sonova who ran my office this summer's head in with the flat side of a whiskey bottle. Whatever you do don't get him to start a vendetta against you. It was perfectly legit to bring your bike up the freight elevator but he didn't like me cause i tried to use the freight at 4:15 and he didn't come up until 4:30 (when the elevator closes for some unknown reason) and he yelled at me for like 10 minute (after 15 minutes of waiting) and then wouldn't let my bike up or down the elevator or the stairs for the next 4 months. Periodically throughout the summer I'd find my bike industrial taped to sh*t and ****ed with. That guy was a complete c********* and I hope he get's hit by a brick.

And that's how i gained 100lbs

transit strike=more idiots in their cars. But closed down streets would be fun.

Plus Friday is suppose to be nasty weather.

let's get ready to ruuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmbbbbblllllee........

My bike is ready willing and able to handle a subway strike of any magnitude, thanks to my little spitfire motor I bought over the internet . true- big things comes in little packages.LOL

it happened for a summer in mpls about 2 years ago. it actually really sucked because everyone and there mom was riding magnas all over the street and pedestrians were just jaywalking everywhere because they didn't need to watch out for buses. couple all of that with the over zealous taxi cab drivers and you have a prescription for suckiness!

I hated that summer!

The only good thing about it was that there wasn't any busses...

I think that if it actually happens here, there will actually be less work for messengers because no one will show up for work. The weather's supposed to be crap, freezing rain in the morning... How many people who didn't commute by bike before would start doing it in that sort of weather?

exactly. It's a big city too. When people at my work hear that I ride from clinton hill brooklyn up to times square they just about fall over and die. If this actually happens, which it probably won't, there will be few brave souls willing to try biking it I think, but not too many.

i work for transit,and its gonna happen. MTA r effin slave driver MF's !!!