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2005 |
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Fighting Obesity in Minority Communities The ‘Bikeracker Suite’ Raises the Bar for Service Memorial to Fund Teen Job Training Suburbs Ask Shoppers to Ride Bikes Federation Welcomes New Board Members Queen's Landing Crosswalk Closed |
Making Room for Bikes If it were a TV show, you could call it, “Bike Eye for the Building Guy (or Gal).” Commuters looking for indoor bike storage can get help from the Chicago Department of Transportation’s Bicycle Program. The Bike Program provides free consulting services and information to office building managers who want to create indoor bicycle parking for their tenants. And, making room for bikes could cost a lot less than you — or your building manager — think. The Bike Program provides a free 20-minute site visit by a Bike Program consultant to look at available space and discuss inexpensive indoor bike parking options. They also provide free copies of the how-to guides “Bicycle Parking Solutions” and “Bike Parking For Your Business” (also available electronically at www.ChicagoBikes.org). If you’re not inclined to contact your building manager yourself, Bike Program Bicycle Parking Manager John Greenfield said that in many cases commuters contact his office directly, and he in turn contacts the building manager. Secure, weather-protected bicycle parking is a cost-effective way for building managers to keep their tenants happy, and there’s a wide range of alternatives, from no-cost to top-of-the-line. “Long-term bike parking can be as simple as a building policy that lets people bring their bikes up to their offices on the elevator,” Greenfield said. “It could be outdoor bike lockers. It could be racks in a locked sheltered, bike cage outside the building. You could set up a designated bike room inside the building with floor-mounted, wall-mounted or double-decker bike racks to organize the bicycles. If space and your budget allow, showers and locker rooms are great for encouraging bike commuting.” Greenfield said bike room consultations often are initiated by commuters, but his expertise also is requested by building managers who have been referred to CDOT by the Building Owners and Managers Association. To find out about this free service, contact Greenfield at (312) 744-4600, or jgreenfield@cityofchicago.org. Outside of the city, Chicagoland Bicycle Federation provides this service for a fee. For information, contact Nick Jackson at (312) 427-3325, ext 227, or nick@biketraffic.org. David Callahan is managing editor of Bike Traffic
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