Bike valet service gets rolling at Willis Tower

Bike valet service gets rolling at Willis Tower

By ROSALIND ROSSI Transportation Reporter March 26, 2013 9:02PM

As the tallest building in North America, Willis Tower aims for the top, and officials think they’ve hit it for bicycle commuters with a new “bike valet’’ service.

For $250 a year, commuters can hand off their bikes to valets in the morning, and call the Willis Tower lobby at work day’s end to ready their bikes for the ride home.

Ordering up bike valet service by text message is next on the horizon.

A string of free services also comes with the annual tab — a yearly bike tune-up, four bike washes, and storage in a heated garage with 24/7 security-camera monitoring.

Basic monthly storage with bike valet service is also available for $25 a month, but the annual program is “one of the best deals in town,’’ says Jenna Obluck, who bikes to her United Airlines office at Willis Tower, 233 S. Wacker, about 10 months a year.

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Permalink Reply by Duppie on March 27, 2013 at 3:46am

That should go a long way to providing secure bike parking for Willis Tower tennants.

If they (Willis Tower building management) do it well, they can make it profitable for them as well. One parking spot for a car holds 10 or more bikes? Especially if they have a bi-level bike parking like you see at the CTA stations

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on March 27, 2013 at 3:59am

That is one heck of a good deal--includes a tune-up and bike washes! 

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on March 27, 2013 at 4:46am

It sounds like a great deal to me.  Makes me wish I worked at the Sears Tower.

Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on March 27, 2013 at 7:06am

This actually comes at a great time.

Now that the weather is warming up, the fair-weather bicyclists are coming out and filling up the bike racks in the loop. This way I won't have to worry about not finding a place to lock up my bike.

Permalink Reply by David of the North (David606xx) on March 29, 2013 at 2:33am

Please, everyone--it's the WESLEY Willis Tower.  Butt my head and say "RAWR!"

Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on March 29, 2013 at 2:35am

Gene, you don't have to call that building what the current owners are telling us to call it. A building as architecturally and culturally significant as the former Sears Tower deserves to have an identity beyond the control of whoever happens to own it at the time. They can call it whatever they want. It doesn't mean we have to follow along. 

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on March 29, 2013 at 2:38am

I still call where the White Sox play Sox Park or Comiskey.  Can't even remember the name of the park right now. 

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on March 29, 2013 at 2:55am

And I won't even set foot in that store that is in Marshall Fields!

The bike parking is still a tremendous deal.

Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on March 29, 2013 at 3:01am

Seems worth it anyway, when I consider the amount of time I spend locking and unlocking and maneuvering in and out of the garage. 

It is also perhaps a significant bellwether. The Sears Tower was pretty notorious back in the day for being hostile to bikes. I tried to lock up in front of it once - a long while ago - and was shooed away by a doorman.

Lisa Curcio 4.0 mi said:

And I won't even set foot in that store that is in Marshall Fields!

The bike parking is still a tremendous deal.

Permalink Reply by chiearthrider on March 29, 2013 at 5:25am

This sounds like a win-win for everyone--Willis Tower management will make money and bike commuters will have a great service.  Unless you live nearby your place of work and can walk, most people expect some commuting costs, and this is way below the cost of using transit and an auto.  And this program is another great encouragement that may spark people to think about riding a bike to work on a regular basis.  

Permalink Reply by Jamais716 on March 29, 2013 at 12:28pm

I'm psyched to have more parking spaces since the building used to have a waitlist for the spots.  But there are some pros and cons to the new "perks".  

At least a couple of people in my office and the security guards who have to handle the bikes are not thrilled with the valet idea.  I've made more adjustments to my front wheel and fenders in the 3 weeks since the valet has started than in the past 3 months.  I've also been meaning to go to the building office and ask what their liability policy is if your bike walks off.  If I don't lock my bike properly, that's my fault, but what happens if it's sitting in the valet drop zone per their policies and somebody rides off on it because they're not checking who owns the bike as you leave the garage?  

I won't trust the guys who work in the car wash to wash my bike, but they've got Pedal to the People doing the tune ups so that's a nice added benefit.

I'm hoping as they adjust to the new system and the security guards get slammed by the influx of warm weather bikers that they'll let the valet be an opt in service.  There are 100+ bike spaces now, so that's a definite win!

Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on March 30, 2013 at 7:47am

uh, this is the perfect solution to the naming problem! "Hell Ride!"

David of the North (David606xx) said:

Please, everyone--it's the WESLEY Willis Tower.  Butt my head and say "RAWR!"

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