What Green Policy?

[LindaNo1]

I work for local government. I was having a discussion this am with a colleague who is also a cyclist. At present we both park our bikes in alcove of hallway. Not in anyone's way. I lock mine, he doesn't. We have a glass panelled front door, which is security locked. My point was that if someone broke the glass and opened the door from the outside. They would be able to nick our bikes and be off with them quickly, as there are no security cameras or the like and the hallway is not used much. And there is nothing to actually lock the bikes too.

I said that it was supposed to be the policy of our council to provide a safe, secure parking place for cyclists. But it is one rule for car users and another for cyclists. On the one hand they supposed to be promoting green travel and then underhandedly are knocking down kid's playgrounds to make way for parking spaces!

 

[huhenio]

It should be a true "Bike Garage" with an actual watchman keeping the bikes for the commuters.

We had that at school and worked pretty well. People could ride their bikes to school and be secured under lock and key till the end of the day.

A variation of that should be in order.

For example lets take the public parking in Philadelphia. 12 to 25 dollars a day for cars. If the city would be truly interested in reducing the amount of cars in their streets in behalf of bikers, it would mandate a "bike lot" within the parking lots - some owned by the city - were bikers could lock their bikes in a cage of sorts.
The city should be responsible for encouraging bikers to ride into the city and reducing the motor vehicle traffic mess any way possible.
Since streets are a public good - in theory - it should be up to the city to encourage this "bike corrals" (or whatever you want to call it) for a nominal fee.

I was riding into Philly on monday and for the life of me I could not find a place were to have breakfast sitting outside with the bike relativelly close to me. 25 miles is a long distance to drag a vandalized bike ... and I had to go back to Manayunk to have LUNCH!

But it is obvious that city managers do little for encouraging people to get out of the cars and hop into the bikes when possible. I agree that the Philly case is not that bad and there is a fair amount of bike lines and the like, but where to store SAFELY (with a reasonable fee) the bike in case you want to dismount and walk around is a problem that city administrators (at least in the very corrupt Philly) will never bother to look after since there is no money there.

New stadium ? YES
More concessions at the Airport? Hell yeah!!
Reducing crime .... ? Why bother?
Cycling to the city? ...... why, I need more room for my Escalade!

Sorry for the rant

 

[Dweezle]

In Seattle they have been replacing all of the parking meters with… I don’t know what they are called but it’s a device that you can use a credit card with. It prints a sticker you put inside the window of your car to show you’ve paid for parking.

The upshot is they’ve eliminated the vast majority of street parking for bicycles. There are bike parking racks on a lot of city streets. Usually a rack you can lock two bikes to, and only one of those racks on a city block. So we’ve been locking bikes to parking meters for years.

So, you said something about green policy?

 

[wheelist]

I work for local government. I was having a discussion this am with a colleague who is also a cyclist. At present we both park our bikes in alcove of hallway. Not in anyone's way. I lock mine, he doesn't. We have a glass panelled front door, which is security locked. My point was that if someone broke the glass and opened the door from the outside. They would be able to nick our bikes and be off with them quickly, as there are no security cameras or the like and the hallway is not used much. And there is nothing to actually lock the bikes too.

I said that it was supposed to be the policy of our council to provide a safe, secure parking place for cyclists. But it is one rule for car users and another for cyclists. On the one hand they supposed to be promoting green travel and then underhandedly are knocking down kid's playgrounds to make way for parking spaces!

This is a pretty common problem Linda. I used to work at an academic institution in the midlands. They had a bike park round the back of a building about 1/2 a mile away from the campus, with no cameras, no security, and plenty of vandalism and theft occurring. By the time I left they had a secure indoor bike park with shower facilities.

Now I work on a new business park with office space for about 400, enough car parking for about 200 cars and those **** slots in the ground for 9 bikes. 9 measly bike park slots is taking the **** big style. Needless to say I'm working to get it improved.

My basic technique for getting things changed is pretty simple: Complain until they can't bear to listen to you anymore - in the end they'll do something just to shut you up.

If there's enough of you (and I'd say that you and your colleague are definitely enough) then form a Bicycle Users Group (BUG) and bug the **** out of whoever is responsible. If you don't know who is responsible then write to anyone remotely connected to the issue. They'll all pass the buck to someone else, and eventually you'll identify your target.

Also talk to your local cycling groups - there may well be a campaign group in your area working on exactly these issues.
Are there any other offices nearby with similar problems? Talk to them too - a problem shared is twice as much pain in the responsible party's ****.

In the meantime, lock the bikes to each other.

 

[elswhere15]

Yup - with you all on this one... I'm very lucky, we have good shower facilities where I work which is a help. However we have **** storage facilities...sorry,did I say **** - I meant none! I can lock my bike on a fence next to the building carpark, where by dint of my being nice to the securiy guards someone will know it's there but I doubt they check it. With two locks it's a secure as I can make it there but it could still get vandalised. Plus... and this is the bit that bugs me, it's open to the elements... since I work on a tidal riverfront that's a lot of elements... and I am absolutley forbidden by the company I work for from bringing it inside, apparently under instruction from the building management - even though I say I'll 'understand' they can't be held responsible for it.

I am currently, and without let up, forming my own BUG (nice accronym!) of one for secure parking and salary sacrifice for purchasing bikes for commuting so Linda if there's you and your mate I reckon you've enough for a committee!

Talk to them too - a problem shared is twice as much pain in the responsible party's ****.

BTW this I like, a lot

 

[LindaNo1]

Cheers for the ideas guys! Problem with this is that the colleague is a Team Manager and is not keen on rocking the boat, so to speak. I was going to approach my Line Manager, but he reckons if I do that it will fall on deaf ears. He has suggested getting a bike rack in the hall and locking them together, in the first instance. I don't know if the Council will pay or even agree to this, but it's worth trying. I can see it going the way of ... "The bikes shouldn't be left there in the first place". I'll get on to it and see what, if anything, happens!

 

[TKOS]

In my work place we have a Green Team. I am lucky that my building has a shower and a spare room to keep my bike in. Those in other buildings don't have that. they have to lock their bikes outdoors on rainy days and have to sit in their sweat all day after biking in. Nothing being done about it but more talking.

Of course my city has but 2 bike routes and these don't actually have a beginning or ending so a bike ride to work is in your own hands. Lucky so far.

 

[LindaNo1]

In my work place we have a Green Team. I am lucky that my building has a shower and a spare room to keep my bike in. .

Showers! Our lot waste their money on Smart Boards, which then get left in the box to gather dust as they carry on using the white boards and marker pens ...

(I better watch what I am putting - I'll be out of a job! A Martyr for Cycling ... it'll be on my grave stone.)