Bike Room @ work & unused bikes

ridin8ude

My office building has a nice little secure room for our staff to store our bikes.

There are racks and open wall space and generally plenty of room.

Over the winter several bikes were left and never moved or even used.

Finally I put a nice flyer on each one challenging people to use their bikes in a clever sort of way.
Out of 13 flyers only 2 bikes moved over a course of 5 weeks!

Does anyone else have issues with valuable bike space being used by people that never use their bikes?

I'm thinking of getting some stickers made up (ride me, love me, feed me etc) and putting new ones on each week as a bike sits and doesn't get moved.

Most frustrating when the regular riders bikes end up piled in a corner at the wall and the bike racks are full of bikes that never get used!!!

Cafewanda

Can't you get management to give notice then remove them?

essex-commuter

ridin8ude wrote:

I'm thinking of getting some stickers made up (ride me, love me, feed me etc) and putting new ones on each week as a bike sits and doesn't get moved.

Instead of saying that just put that if the owner does not move the bike within x weeks or months (or contacts y with a reason why it should stay there) the bike will be removed and sold for charity.

It's similar to what we do every year or so with locks, only a bit more interesting :twisted:

essex-commuter

essex-commuter wrote:

It's similar to what we do every year or so with locks

In that we label them to be removed, we do not cut them off and give them to charity!

Agent57

ridin8ude wrote:

Does anyone else have issues with valuable bike space being used by people that never use their bikes?

Yes.

Beside my office, there are 30 bike lockers. These are oversubscribed, and keys are allocated to people. This means that some of the lockers almost never get used (a colleague had a key and didn't cycle for 5 months; he gave his key back eventually). Some of the lockers are being used as general storage, not even for bikes.

It's irritating. I'm lucky insofar as I've managed to get a key and am sharing a locker with someone else. Getting a bike in or out while there's another bike in there is quite an art.

the_prophet

think yourselves lucky you have somewhere to keep them (even if space is tight) I have to keep my bike in the office with me, just behind my desk. there is litterally no where else for it to go....

does have its benefits when you need to be at the other end of the office though 8)

londonbairn

This is a ongoing issue at various places I have worked (banks in City) in terms of allocated spaces.

At places that had allocated spaces, it was frustrating as we ended up in situations where there were huge waiting lists to lock bikes in an underground cage (for say 100 bikes) but the actual usage per day was something like 20, because the other 80 are "part time summer cyclists"

At other places (like where I am now) they have a system where you need your pass to be approved to enter the underground car park, which anyone can get, and parking is first come first served, which IMO is a way better way of doing it.

As for bikes that are left there, where I am now, they will remove them, and there are signs that say they will move them if left for a prolonged amount of time.

Harry182

I think this is a question of - 'why let your un-used bike take up room at home when you can keep it at the office?' Doesn't seem fair to genuine bike commuters. I'd implement a move or loose it policy.

Stuey01

If the bikes haven't moved in months how do you expect the owner to see a flyer attached to the bike? It's not likely they are regularly dropping in to give it a hug. You need a new approach.

ridin8ude

I think our facilities people send out an email once or twice of year saying they will clean out the room of 'unused' bikes. But I've never noticed a difference.

I guess what I'm trying to think of is a fun way to 'shaming' people into at least taking their bike home (if they're too lazy to ride it).

Ideas on where I can get some smallish stickers with clever remarks that would be applicable to move your sh*te out of this room!

If you do it weekly I guess some of these bikes could have their whole frame covered with stickers by the end of the year :shock:

ridin8ude

Stuey01 wrote:

If the bikes haven't moved in months how do you expect the owner to see a flyer attached to the bike? It's not likely they are regularly dropping in to give it a hug. You need a new approach.

yeah agreed - likely they'll never know.
I want to do something fun cuz I'm bored...

londonbairn

or name and shame mass email, happened at a small boutique firm I was at before

"Hi all, could the owner of the rusty 100kg steel mountain bike please remove it within the next 48 hours, or we will donate it to charity"

asprilla

Are there not legal issues with removal of bikes and donating to charity? I think that's why more places don't do it; if you don't know what you are doing in terms of notification and timescales you could find yourself in the middle of a minefield.

lost_in_thought

OK, if you're bored, here's what I'd do...

Take photos of the offending bikes, and then send round a name and shame email with the photos and clever captions, make it like one of those RSPCA ads - you know the ones - 'timmy the dog was left out on the street by his owners, no food, no water' etc.

If you're not bored, just get in touch with the building manager.

Agent57

the_prophet wrote:

think yourselves lucky you have somewhere to keep them (even if space is tight) I have to keep my bike in the office with me, just behind my desk. there is litterally no where else for it to go....

I'd rather bring my bike into my office where I can keep an eye on it, but it's frowned upon.

Stuey01

My place is pretty good.
You have to get yourself on the list, but the list is waaay longer than the ammount of spaces there are, then it is first come first served. It is in the secured loading bay with lots of racks, overlooked by both Security and CCTV. About 6 months ago they had a good clearout, but to be fair not many just leave their bikes lying around.
We've got good showers and wardrobes to store clothes too.

Yeah, i'm quite lucky.

smug

You could put up RSPCA style posters around the building with photo's of the bikes in question.
"This bike has been abandoned by it's owner"
"Bike is for life, not just for Xmas"
etc etc

Monkeypump

I suspect if the bikes aren't being moved, the owners aren't going anywhere near them and won't see stickers/notices etc.

We had a similar issue at my place where people were storing bikes at work to clear space at home.

Company-wide email worked here, with a warning that bikes would be removed within a certain time.

CiB

Whatever method you use it needs to be a definite request for action (please remove your bike), a reasonable timescale, a follow up to ensure that people have had time to know about it and to take the required action, and then a positive guarantee that bikes will be moved. It's like kids - no good just saying you'll box their ears, you sometimes have to do it to get them to take any notice*. People soon spot an empty threat, or a pointless request like a picture of a horse stuck to the bike saying 'Please look after me' or whatever.

Following on from the legal arguments last week that degenerated into a 'Who Likes Spen' thread, you need to be careful what you do with the bikes, and give the owners reasonable opportunity to recover them.

*Oh. Just me then?

Stuey01

lost_in_thought wrote:

Take photos of the offending bikes, and then send round a name and shame email with the photos and clever captions, make it like one of those RSPCA ads - you know the ones - 'timmy the dog was left out on the street by his owners, no food, no water' etc.

Ha - beat me to it. I was typing exactly this whilst you posted...

londonbairn

Stuey01 wrote:

My place is pretty good.
You have to get yourself on the list, but the list is waaay longer than the ammount of spaces there are, then it is first come first served. It is in the secured loading bay with lots of racks, overlooked by both Security and CCTV. About 6 months ago they had a good clearout, but to be fair not many just leave their bikes lying around.
We've got good showers and wardrobes to store clothes too.

Yeah, i'm quite lucky.

smug

You could put up RSPCA style posters around the building with photo's of the bikes in question.
"This bike has been abandoned by it's owner"
"Bike is for life, not just for Xmas"
etc etc

Every place I have been to has been great. The worst facilities I have had were 2 showers, secure parking and lockers. The best has been a full blown new changing room with multiple shower cubicles, washing machines, tumble dryers, huge lockers, caged parking with key lock and CCTV...

then again I am a corporate whore 8)

lost_in_thought

londonbairn wrote:

Stuey01 wrote:

My place is pretty good.
You have to get yourself on the list, but the list is waaay longer than the ammount of spaces there are, then it is first come first served. It is in the secured loading bay with lots of racks, overlooked by both Security and CCTV. About 6 months ago they had a good clearout, but to be fair not many just leave their bikes lying around.
We've got good showers and wardrobes to store clothes too.

Yeah, i'm quite lucky.

smug

You could put up RSPCA style posters around the building with photo's of the bikes in question.
"This bike has been abandoned by it's owner"
"Bike is for life, not just for Xmas"
etc etc

Every place I have been to has been great. The worst facilities I have had were 2 showers, secure parking and lockers. The best has been a full blown new changing room with multiple shower cubicles, washing machines, tumble dryers, huge lockers, caged parking with key lock and CCTV...

then again I am a corporate whore 8)

My current offices have 2 showers, 2 baths, massive private changing areas, washing machine, tumble dryer, drying room, indoor and outdoor exclusive locking bike storage and bike maintenance gear...

Did I mention I work from home? :P

Seriously though, I've always been very fortunate with facilities.

londonbairn

lost_in_thought wrote:

londonbairn wrote:

Stuey01 wrote:

My place is pretty good.
You have to get yourself on the list, but the list is waaay longer than the ammount of spaces there are, then it is first come first served. It is in the secured loading bay with lots of racks, overlooked by both Security and CCTV. About 6 months ago they had a good clearout, but to be fair not many just leave their bikes lying around.
We've got good showers and wardrobes to store clothes too.

Yeah, i'm quite lucky.

smug

You could put up RSPCA style posters around the building with photo's of the bikes in question.
"This bike has been abandoned by it's owner"
"Bike is for life, not just for Xmas"
etc etc

Every place I have been to has been great. The worst facilities I have had were 2 showers, secure parking and lockers. The best has been a full blown new changing room with multiple shower cubicles, washing machines, tumble dryers, huge lockers, caged parking with key lock and CCTV...

then again I am a corporate whore 8)

My current offices have 2 showers, 2 baths, washing machine, tumble dryer, drying room, indoor and outdoor exclusive locking bike storage and bike maintenance gear...

Did I mention I work from home? :P

Seriously though, I've always been very fortunate with facilities.

Haha, two questions I have asked in interviews in the past

A) (when discussing benefits) "Do you offer Cyclescheme?"
(when discussing/going round offices) "do you have cyclist facilities?"

I've found the mere mention of cycling has gotten me into places, last interview spent most of it talking about bike components :P

shouldbeinbed

dumped bikes irritate the hell out of me as they just clog us the regular space particularly when I am forced to use alternate place (dead end under stair well and get a very public bollocking and threats under H&S & DDA to remove it or face the consequences.

1 working 6' x 6' shower/changing/clothes drying room for a site of 400 people and a locker rescued from a skip sited in the vestibule of the gents toilets.

I'm living the cycling dream me :evil:

holybinch

hear hear.

Same situation here.
Waiting list (Facilities wouldn't tell me how long it is) and people who have parking spaces are supposed to use their bikes 3 times a month (!!!!) in Winter (until April it seems) and then 3 times a week in Summer.
In the meantime, I'm forced to park my bike outside, in the street.
Meaning I can't decently take my road bike and have to hijack my gf's sirrus, which is too small for me!

I commute at least 3 times a week, and see a lot of people who do only once.
No fair.

On the lockers: 8 in total for the whole company. Well, for the guys, I suppose the gals have the same number (equal opportunities and al.)
Never seen a girl commuter though
And I can't even protest or make any noise, since I'm just a contractor.
Puuuuurrrfect!

gaz545

We have racks for 500+ bikes at work. But then our building has 6,000 + people working in it.

Although our office changing rooms are great. the people that use it are knobs. leaving their dirty socks and underpants on the floor. And then after work i have to watch them put them back on to go home in. makes me sick.

holybinch

yuk!

No locker for me, clothes are in my office, in the wardrobe where everybody put their coats.
If any one complains, they get referred to facilities

Mithras

No changing room for me, well there is, but it's open plan and both sexes use it. good job niether me or anybody else in my office is shy! There is a shower room, but no working extractor fan and there isn't enough room to get changed in. No drying room either. Only one radiator in the changing room, Some idiot made the fatal mistake of hanging there coat over the top of my soaking wet cycle jacket the other day. I was not happy because my jacket hadn't dried...but not as unhappy as they were..hehe

asprilla

750 spaces in locked area in the underground car park with an equal number if lockers. About the same number of spaced above ground on Sheffield stands. Showers in the gym and then two showers on each floor in my building. Can be a pain having to wait for a shower sometimes.

Biggest problem is a lack of drying room so I'm usually going home in slightly damp gear.

My biggest bugbear is that cyclists have to leave the site through a specially constructed turnstile (which means dismountin) or through a fire exit into a pedestrian area. Apparently it's unsafe to let us use the same entrance / exit as other traffic.

I've written a strongly worded letter and am gathering an underground network of activists ready to rise up and complain.

cyclemambo

showers, bike stand, lockers oh what a pain having to share some of these lovely items of commuting heaven, i have a face cloth for a shower, steel work shop as changing room and an oil filled heater to dry clothes when wet, i commute 5 days a week rain or sun, came down the other day to see my beloved bike being used as pipe stand for lads cutting steel pipe, joys of biking

asprilla

Hey, you get an heater to dry clothes. We haven't got any (air-con only) and we aren't allowed to leave cycle stuff out to dry on chair backs ot coat stands; it has to be locked away in your 18" cube locker.

Tonymufc

We have a slightly different problem. The company I drive for is undergoing massive re-development and our existing office, canteen, car park and bike shed are to be demolished. After looking at the new plans I asked where would the new bike shed be located. Err we haven't got one, was the answer. There's quite a few of us at work that ride in, so we're arguing the point that whilst we're riding in we're reducing the number of car parking spaces needed. The existing bike shed is probably only the size of the average car park space anyway. So with a bit more ear bending hopefully we'll get a result.