When will people on bikes be treated as well as smokers?

Bike racks in rain, smokers under cover 14

I am pissed. I just learned that my county would rather provide shelter from the weather for its employees who smoke (and drive up healthcare costs) than let those citizen-terrorists on bikes park out of the rain near the county building.

So I have to go to the county building today after a lunch meeting. Rather than drive, I hop on my bike and dodge traffic and the shards of cars swept into the so-called "bike lanes." I get to the county building and it's starting to rain.

I look up, and the massive front of the building has an extended cover running across the front of the building. In the center is an entrance. To the right are hardworking county employees (they wear badges) enjoying their hard-earned cigarette breaks, as well as what looks to be like regular citizen smokers (no badges).

I am over by the single bike rack, away from the building, in the rain.

On the other side of the entrance is an entirely unused half of the massive building front. It's under cover.

Having finally acquired enough sense to come in out of the rain, I put these observations together and start to haul my bike up to the porch so that I can lock it up (not to anything, just to itself) on the porch, out of the rain.

Crisis! The rent-a-cop stationed inside at the front of the building rushes out to tell me that I cannot put my bike there, and that I have to use the bike rack out in the rain. I ask her whose rule is that and she says "County Sheriff's.

So there we are -- she has her hand on her radio, ready to call for backup in case I do something threatening like park my small bicycle under the roof, where no one is walking (there are not even any doors that open onto this spot).

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the county, they are struggling to cope with the exploding costs of trying to maintain the roads they have, much less pour down a few miles more.

You don't think these two things could be connected, do you?

Let’s live on the planet as if we intend to stay.

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  1. Werdna Posted 11:56 am
    25 Apr 2007

    I feel your pain...I used to bike all the time when I lived in Houston.  People just couldn't understand why I would choose to be outside, out of the air-conditioning.  Several almost accidents from drivers who refused to acknowledge my existence.  And most of the time not a bike rack in sight.
    Now, I live in Vancouver, BC.  Although things can be better for cyclists, it is worlds ahead of Houston.  Many public events now have (volunteer) bike valets and there are requirements at all public buildings for bike racks.  Good stuff.

    Andrew Eisenberg


    The gateway project is wrong---http://www.liveableregion.ca/

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  2. bralessliving Posted 12:27 pm
    25 Apr 2007

    I hate cops and I hate rent-a-cops even moreIn LA on the Metro the cops randomly bother people who are not contributing to the gridlock that is Los Angeles freeways.
    There are laws if you're in your car that cops can't bother you unless you're doing something wrong, but if you're on public transport, it's open season.
    I love how rent-a-cops are always very knowledgeable of the rules, but never can tell you basic information like, where the entrance is, particulars about the neighborhood that they work in, pretty much anything useful they don't know.
    They also have a good habit of never being around when someone is getting beaten to death by hooligans. Not that it's common to get beaten to death in a dark parking lot, but I guarantee you if it ever happened to you, the rent-a-cop would be on their smoke break.

    In bounciness,



    Lo Fleming

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  3. amazingdrx's avatar

    amazingdrx Posted 1:47 pm
    25 Apr 2007

    Firesign Theater"I hate cops."
    "I hate cops too."
    "What are you gonna do?"
    "I'm gonna burn my uniform!"
    "Yeah, me too, I'm gonna turn in my badge."
    It looks like outsourcing police jobs to contractors produces even worse results.
    Of course you know this verse of "The Hobo Lullabye" Lo.
    "I know the police give you trouble.
    They cause trouble everywhere.
    When you die and go to heaven.
    You'll find no policemen there."
    This is not much of a consolence to todays modern athiest hobos though, as bio-d described in a recent article.

    http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog

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  4. BernardBrown Posted 9:03 pm
    25 Apr 2007

    building managerThis might come off as naive, but have you mentioned something to the county building management? Of course you shouldn't have to, but the exposed bike rack placement is probably something they've never noticed. I myself depend on my bike to get around Philly, and while I could go into my own rant about inconsiderate motorists etc., non-cyclists typically have trouble relating simply from lack of experience. Moving a bike rack might be pretty easy for the property management once someone points out how much it sucks to lock your bike up in the rain.
    Bernard Brown

    Change the world one lunch at a time. Find out how at http://www.pbjcampaign.org

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  5. Icelander Posted 10:58 pm
    25 Apr 2007

    War storiesStories like this turn me off completely to the possibility of biking anywhere. If it's going to be this much of a hassle to bike, I'll just take my scooter or my car or walk.

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  6. Solar John Posted 11:07 pm
    25 Apr 2007

    A SolutionYou need to take up smoking.

    Solar John

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  7. Delay And Deny's avatar

    Delay And Deny Posted 1:18 am
    26 Apr 2007

    The 3% Laugh At You

    While you live your petty life, stuggling with a bike to get to work, the Top 3% cruise in luxury on yachts near Borneo.

    Guillotine t-shirthttp://You-Read-It-Here-First.com

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  8. JMG's avatar

    JMG Posted 2:49 am
    26 Apr 2007

    thanksSolar John,  thanks for the laugh.  I hadn't thought of that one!
    Bernard, I'm afraid that the bikerack is one of those things that looks like a paperclip twisted to form an "m" and sunk into concrete--I seriously doubt they're up for moving that one.  My goal is to try to get the local bike club to work with me to get the county to put another one (capable of serving a lot more bikes) in under the eaves.
    Icelander, I fear that your reaction is exactly the one shared by many, which is why I got so ticked by what would otherwise be a minor annoyance that I would shrug off.  I've been wet before and it's not fatal--but stuff like this is definitely harmful to the county's own efforts to try and deal with traffic and parking by encouraging bikes and transit.
    jabailo, I enjoy my rich life very much, thank you for your concern.  Have you considered professional help for dealing with your anger?  Just asking ...

    "An optimist is someone who thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. A pessimist is someone who is afraid that the optimist is right."

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  9. Engineer Posted 5:40 am
    26 Apr 2007

    LEED for existing buildings...Another possibility to consider is to begin lobbying for your local county to adopt LEED standards.
    There is a retrofit specification for existing buildings and one of the compliance areas is providing bicycle storage to encourage the use of bikes, rather than the multiple discouragements you received.

    Common sense is an oxymoron...

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  10. TariffDude Posted 6:57 am
    26 Apr 2007

    American hypocrisy: stranger than fictionI recently biked out to see Jimmy Carter speak.  I had never been to the arena before, so I just followed the line of cars into the parking lot, where a rent-a-cop was barking row numbers.  When it was my turn, the bejowled man just stared at me for a few seconds.  Then he said, "Uhh...Yeah."  Not hesitantly, but in a tone intended to imply competency, with a little head nod at the end.  Yeah? Seriously?  So I said, "Are there any bike racks?" and believe it or not, he said, "You could just lock it to that tree right there," gesturing to a tiny sapling in an island in the parking lot.  I said, "I'm pretty sure that's illegal," which it is (here anyway).  "Um, just wherever."  Awesome.  Eventually I found a fifteen-slot bike rack amid the vast sea of cars.  
    The biggest applause line in the whole speech was about foreign oil.  Then everyone took off in their cars (on what was quite possibly the nicest day of the year).  They didn't get it in 1979 and they don't get it now.  

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  11. bherner Posted 8:11 am
    26 Apr 2007

    Smoker/BicyclistAh, but you can probably SIT on your bike and smoke out of the rain, but not leave the bike there when you're done.

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  12. Payton Chung's avatar

    Payton Chung Posted 8:57 am
    26 Apr 2007

    seek shelter@Engineer: LEED gives you a credit for having a bike rack, but not necessarily a covered one. D'oh!
    In rainy climates, shelters over bike parking should be a matter of courtesy -- just as shady shelters over at-grade car parking is common in many sunny places (at least it seems common in the southwest, including a few park & rides under solar panels). However, many bike racks are placed with the assumption that people only bike on nice days, anyhow.
    If they have an indoor parking garage, you might try seeing if they'll let you lock up inside.

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  13. Engineer Posted 10:47 am
    26 Apr 2007

    Hmmm...SS Credit 3.2 Alternative Transportation: Bicycle Storage & Changing Rooms

    1 Point

    Intent

    Reduce pollution and land development impacts from automobile use.

    Requirements

    For commercial or institutional buildings, provide secure bicycle storage with convenient changing/shower facilities (within 200 yards of the building) for regular building occupants. Maintain bike storage and shower capacity that is sufficient for the greater of 1% of the building occupants or 125% of peak demand for these facilities.

    For residential buildings, provide covered storage facilities for securing bicycles for 15% or more of building occupants in lieu of changing/shower facilities.
    It's been a while since I read it...I remembered covered, but you're right, not 'required' for commercial.  Doesn't mean the public couldn't lobby for it, but depends on how close they are to reelection and how much backing they think the bicyclists have.

    Common sense is an oxymoron...

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  14. usandthem Posted 9:48 pm
    01 May 2007

    bikers vs smokersIn this day of terrorism,possibly unattended bikes could be loaded with explosives.It has been done many times before.

     Quit your whinning.If you were fine riding in the rain to whatever site you were going to than you are probably protected i.e. rainsuit,poncho,etc..

     Everybody knows that smoking is bad for you,including smokers,but we are crapped on by everybody for an addiction that is devastating.Every time there is money needed there is an increase in the Sin tax,cigarettes and alcohol.I believe that we still have rights as smokers in this country but I don'

    t hear anybody listening or caring.So quit your whinning.Oh by the way I am a biker myself.

    Why not ask why!?

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