Commuters--office building parking

Fellow bike commuters, I have a question: Does your office building have a bike room? If so, is there a fee to park your bike and how much? My building is about to impose a fee and I'm curious how it compares. Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by ambimb on January 13, 2011 at 2:56pm

No bike room. No locker room. No showers. My building to bike commuters: you're on your own.

Permalink Reply by Duppie on January 13, 2011 at 3:43pm
I park my bike inside, near the loading dock. Not a bike room, no amenities (Yeah! for ADA-compliant stalls in the bathroom) but no fee either
Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on January 13, 2011 at 5:34pm
I too am in a non-bike friendly building in the Loop, though in their defense, they don't have a parking garage either. The part that really irritates me though is you're not allowed to bring a bike in the building at all. The last two winters I parked indoors at Millenium Park Bike Station. I'd be curious what the proposed fee is for your building's bike room (and if outsiders are allowed). I've had no success canvassing the local garages in my "officehood" (Clark & Madison) about indoor winter parking.
Permalink Reply by anthony nicholson on January 13, 2011 at 5:38pm
Free (off street locked cage, but not indoor), free showers in gym
Permalink Reply by Leah Jone on January 13, 2011 at 7:52pm

We have a first come, first served bike room and a couple racks out front. No showers, but the women's bathroom on my floor is a lounge with two private rooms/stalls.

 

Permalink Reply by dav on January 14, 2011 at 1:16am

Showers yes, but the nature of our business has showers available. It's not because they love bicyclists. I park my bike at it's own cubicle.  I'm the only bicycle guy where I work. If there were 9 people parking their bikes on the floor something would probably be said.

Permalink Reply by Matt Wolfe on January 14, 2011 at 2:34am
$10 a month to park in a cage in the alley out back.  No amenities at all, unless you want to join the health club which last time I checked was $105 a month.
Permalink Reply by in it to win it 8.0 mi on January 14, 2011 at 2:40am

Our "bike room" is in the loading dock. Is indoors and heated; have to have a sticker from the building; no charge.

Note: Lock as you would anywhere else. Last March I was lazy and just used a cable lock since I was indoors; thief got my bike anyway; 20 feet from guard desk. Yes, I even got to watch the video...

I bet the bike thieves know all buildings that allow bike inside...

 

Oh yeah, you have to work in this building to get to park here. In Summer I park on the street because way too many bikes are in the dock.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on January 14, 2011 at 3:54am

this is a hot-button topic -especially in THiS forum I bet. 

 

I can see how many buildings would want to have some sign-in, stickers, or something for accountability due to the "abandoned bike" syndrome (which I don't understand but apparently is a huge problem).   I can see having a sticker or some other form of identification and a sign-up sheet so they know who's bikes are which so when one is there for 4 weeks straight and hasn't moved they know who to go to and ask them to take it away unless other arrangements have been made.  And if it isn't anyone's who belongs there they can easily cut it and remove it without worrying about removing one that IS supposed to be there.

 

Space is a premium so I can see why a building owner wouldn't want to give away square footage of what otherwise would have been income property.  If the company you work for owns its own building then the health benefits  (and insurance savings) of their employees riding to work would far outweigh any costs that they would otherwise incur  by providing a space for bikes -and besides it is always easy to find nooks and corners of parking structures for bikes to park that could never be used for cars -and often not even motorcycles.  Rooms that up or down a flight of stairs couldn't be used for motor-vehicle parking anyhow so if they aren't being used for anything else what is the big deal?   But as an electrician I always hate it when building managers use equipment and electrical closets, or even in open areas use the area 3-feet in front of an electrical panel for any storage -much less bikes that are locked up and can't be moved easily without tracking down the person who has the keys to the locks.  I can't tell you how many times I've had to deal with this. It makes us angry because the working clearances around live parts and covers over live parts that need to be accesses is a life safety issue and when these are ignored it puts our safety at risk.   Failing to leave safe working distances around electrical panels could result in death of an electrician forced to work on it in an emergency.  Many times the electrical inspectors require building owners/managers to put Yellow tape on the area defined by the National Electrical Code as the required safe working clearances area.  But these are routinely ignored :(

 

Back to general bike parking there should always be an attempt by building owners and employers to cater to bikes in a safe and legal manner.  It's annoying to us when they want to charge car-parking rates to something that takes up very little room compared to an auto.  Some place that charges significant amounts for bike parking on a monthly basis should have to take on some responsibility for the security of the bikes they are fleecing for parking fees. That's the argument I'd pursue if my own building all of a sudden wanted to start charging for bike parking.  Once they get in the "business" of selling park parking then they are taking on the responsibility for any theft and/or vandalism that occurs while using their "paid" parking.

Permalink Reply by Liz on January 14, 2011 at 3:55am

my building has a bike room in the loading dock, but it is "full" and they have not been distributing new keys for years, so I park outside.  Since the room is "full" the 2 dozen regular cyclists who aren't in the room in my building have been trying to get another room to no avail, even after saying we are willing to pay.  Also the racks outside the building are in short supply in the summer.  No showers. 

 

I'll probably start using millenium park mostly for the shower, I wouldn't mind paying a fee, I just don't want to have to walk the extra bit from millenium park. 

Permalink Reply by BalloonBiker on January 14, 2011 at 4:57am

We have a very nice situation.  We have bike racks in the parking garage of the building, right next to the elevator.

 

Technically we are supposed to enter through the loading docks and take an elevator now, but I believe that most just flagrantly go through the garage ramp.

 

We also have complimentary gym and showers.

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on January 14, 2011 at 5:01am
The walk from/to Millenium Park killed it for me.

Liz said:

 

 

I'll probably start using millenium park mostly for the shower, I wouldn't mind paying a fee, I just don't want to have to walk the extra bit from millenium park. 

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