In a workforce of about 50 there’s 5 of us who cycle to work most days…for about a year we’ve been hiding our bikes around the factory ensuring they don’t get in anybody’s way. The reason they are inside is there is no ‘secure’ area to lock our bikes up. There’s a mesh wire fence…but c’mon. Our bikes are fairly expensive (mine is £1200 or £600 depending on which, I have no ‘commuter’ bike as misses won’t allow) and another fella rides an £800 hard tail, the trading estate we work on is somewhat desirable. We’ve all since been requested to take our bikes outside as one of the directors “doesn’t want bikes laying around making the place look untidy”.

Where do the 5 of us go from here? Request a bike shed? I have no idea and knowing this place they are likely to just brush it under the carpet for months as there are more important things for them to worry about…

Park them in his office

If the 5 of you go and see him he might be quite reasonable about it. If they provide a smokers shelter then you have a precedent that they cater for groups

Double post

club together and buy a van and leave it in the car park.

place bikes in van each morning?

Is there a parking place close to the factory door/full view of an office window etc?

Ask if it can be used for bikes and if you can make a couple of concrete bucket anchors and some kind of wooden rail out of dipped 3×2 to lean the bikes against. Should be able to knock it up for less than £50 and probably a lot less if you can salvage some bits from the factory like steel loops/scrap buckets/wooden offcuts.

At our place we were given the old smoking room to store our bikes, its great because it has extractor fans that make it great for drying your clothes off. Its probably the most secure building for miles as well.

Just ask him, what s the worst that can happen? Just don’t be all militant about it, just tell him the reasons why you think supporting cyclists is a good idea (reduced sickness, well being, less cars to park etc)

also remember to point out that you guys are saving 5 car parking spaces.
EDIT: beaten to it ^^

The get together thing is good.
Have a look round for somewhere suitable, don’t make then suggest somewhere you will turn down come up with some good suggestions. In general people prefer solutions to problems, take in some valuation of your bikes so he gets an idea of what they are worth, also any insurance that you have saying how they need to be stored.

First try to deal with it constructively. Try to engage with the boss, and point out that the bikes are expensive and that there’s nowhere safe to leave them.

If necessary, point out the benefits to the company of having people cycle to work e.g. this study:

http://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/2009/01/cyclists-are-ill-less-often.html

which suggests that on average you’ll take one sick day less per year.

If the local traffic is bad, you’re probably more punctual. If parking on your estate is at a premium then that may well be the limiting factor for growing the company in its current premises.

Then figure out what the best option is and price it up.

In other words, put the problem into business terms, and make it as easy as possible for them to just say yes to what you want.

Getting together, describing 1 to 3 options their costs and benefits and pitching them to the boss sounds a good approach. Especially if there’s little (ie 0) cost and inconvenience to the company. I can imagine the sight of bikes placed around a factory unit being a bit worrying: trips, falls, theft etc.

With a thought-out plan you can get rid of that worry and give the boss a chance to feel good about the green potential. Imagine the piece in the local paper:

‘Factory boss supports green commuting’ – ‘Mr Big of monster manufacturing was skeptical about plans to support green commuting but he isn’t any more. “I was worried about safety in the factory when the lads would leave their bikes around the place. Then they came to me with a plan to keep us safe and green and keep their bikes secure. When I saw that I just had to support it.”

Go to them with a costed proposal, and suggest that it’ll help their “eco-credentials” as a company.

Ideally you want them to spring for a couple of steel hoops something like this or this

Three of those concreted in somewhere outside, ideally covered by CCTV should be sufficient to lock 5 – 6 bikes to, probably more.

Although you are more likely to get this sort of effort

TBH if there’s a fabricator somewhere on your industrial estate that can bend 50mm pipe for you you may well be able to do it cheaper…

I’d get the most senior (or one with the best relationship) to go and have a chat with the Boss first.

I had the same in my old workplace, their idea of secure parking consisted of a wire wheel rack in a corner of the car park. Their helpful suggestion was to put a plastic bag over the saddle if I was worried about leaving it outside. 🙄

In the end, the handyman built a big covered shed round the back with some old scaffolding poles set into concrete to lock it against. I wrapped the poles in bubble wrap. Cost them next to nothing.

We have a rusty, dilapidated shed that’s not in CCTV coverage where I work, and the building has approx 200 people. Neither of the two companies using the building want to spend the £5k on a new shed. Not much you can do really, some people do take their bikes into the office but I can’t see that being allowed long-term once the carpets start getting dirty. I just drive in instead…

I’d get the most senior (or one with the best relationship) to go and have a chat with the Boss first.

Do this.

Don’t mention that you all have £1200 bikes, especially if it’s close to salary review time.

Don’t mention that you all have £1200 bikes, especially if it’s close to salary review time.

Why not? Far cheaper than a car.

Anyone on here will see £1200 as being cheaper than a car. Most people will see £1200 as insane. You could buy a car for that, etc.

I had the same at a car dealership yesterday. Said I was looking for a car big enough to fit bikes in. “We do a rack”, no I want them inside. I could see he didn’t believe 4 bikes would cost more than the car he was trying to sell me.

Most people get the picture when you explain to them that if having a bike means not having a car then not having to pay insurance, assorted taxes and upkeep for a car soon makes even a 5k carbon fibre beauty cheaper than running a £900 rust-bucket.

work out a sensible plan to sort out the issue, pick a sensible location, price it up etc present it in a little plan so they have as little need to input.. put some of your own time i to help solve the issue

also see if there is support from local council to help with facilities, is the business on a park, perhaps look at a shared facility – spread the costs between owners and tenants

There are some good facts to quote to him on the Sustrans website:

http://www.sustrans.org.uk/cycletowork/benefits/employers

You could get a cheaper bike and lock it outside?

a few councils offer free bike stands the sheffield loop style for workplaces.
Cheshire west asnd Merseyside councils do.

Look under your local councils web site and then cycling.

It was the same where I work. They have a bike to work scheme but say they are not obliged to provide parking for bikes or cars. luckily since they got rid of the bikes we used to ride for work, we now have a nice bike shed where we can lock our own bikes up…I bought an old Raleigh for £40 just for work.. That’s Royal Mail for you 😯

some people do take their bikes into the office but I can’t see that being allowed long-term once the carpets start getting dirty. I just drive in instead…

Doesn’t driving in to the office get the carpets mucky and take up loads of space? And how do you get the car through the door?

Yeah I have the same, not allowed to take bikes in any more due to health & safety, though in reality they just don’t want bikes lying around and leaving tyre trails everywhere. We’ve been pressing to get a secure bike shed outside but all kinds of problems with land ownership and passing the buck over responsibility etc, we might get there eventually though.

How does parking work. How any people get a parking space. What does that cost the company? How much would 5 more parking space cost? How much would some parking arrangement for bikes cost.

If parking is in short supply then a week of the cylists driving in early and getting the parking spots would focus minds

+1 what Project says. where are you? Local council and various community groups have employer grants, etc so that cycle shed can be installed…

go through his bins, steal his identity and seduce his wife

How much space would it really take to park them together somewhere inside the factory? Can’t think of many industries where there wouldn’t be enough space for 5 bikes and some scrap materials to build a practical neat looking rack from.

s the business on a park, perhaps look at a shared facility

Walking to the factory from the bike park kind of defeats the object surely?

offer him some sort of service.. i mean its worked for me.

We have no female directors!

He has come around to the idea of a metal shed or something along those lines. Parking spaces are short and they know if the cyclists drove in they would come unstuck.

Kind of similar situation for me.
They do provide a supposed secure cycle shed, which is hidden from view at the back of the building and carpark and over the last 5 years I’ve had 3 stolen and a set of wheels / seatpost (quick release!)
After the last one was taken, I started leaving the replacement in front of the building out of the way, but I could see it from my window.
I’ve now had countless emails, messages stuck to the bike and meetings as group property don’t want unsightly bikes on view to visitors!!!
We’ve agreed a compromise, whereas I’ve moved it further up the car park, while they look into putting a fence and gate around the bike racks. 3 months so far and nothing happening. It will be back once the dark winter months come back.
Lloyds Banking Group to name & shame.

I guess it depends on how co-operative your boss is, or how open he is to helping out his employees.

At my last place of work we were requested to stop bringing bikes into the facility – a bunch of us has a meeting the director/CEO and diplomatically and civilly asked for bike parking facilities.

4 weeks later a bike park was up and running, and motorbike provision too!

It’s always worth asking – you might be surprised.

Most local authorities have someone who is responsible for cycling. Part of their job is to liaise with companies to try and increase the number of employees who cycle to work. They will also know of any funding or grants available to companies to help with the cost of cycle parking.

Also, Sustrans have people that do a similar job.

There are a number of manufacturers who make 5 bike shelters, some are designed specifically to fit into a single car parking space, just google cycle shelters and you’ll get half a dozen manufacturers.

kendonagasaki – Member

Lloyds Banking Group to name & shame.

We can park ours in the secure basement behind the security guards in our building, just goes to show how things differ from one building to another.

😆

Lloyds Banking Group to name & shame

http://ways2work.bitc.org.uk/whodoesit/lloyds

maybe have a word with your boss…

dazz & rs –
It’s not so much them not encouraging biking in, it’s the fact that the bike shed provided is hidden round the back and next to the railway line, which means anyone can climb over and take their pick of the bikes. Mine it seems more than others!
The security lads have offered me access to the loading bay, but the fool in charge of group property has told them I’m not to leave my bike in there as others will want to do likewise. (true, but not my worry)
All I want is either a secure facility or to be able to check on the bike regularly through the day.