A positive discussion with my apartment manager

[acc]

Asking myself WWDD has kept me out of a lot of trouble over the years and has led to an interesting assortment of bike costumes.

You’re right, Dirt always finds a non confrontational way of promoting bike safety and biking in general when he interacts with non cyclists.

It strikes me there should be a Dirt Appreciation Day and perhaps an annual award for someone who acts most like Dirt as a positive cycling advocate.

And the award should be something pink.

[KLizotte]

I now thank my lucky stars that my high rise bldg. hasn’t (yet) outlawed bikes coming through the lobby and keeping them in our apartments. Fortunately we haven’t been regulated to the freight elevator either (it smells being near the trash chute).

When I first arrived I did lobby for a bigger bike room since the present one is jammed (they did clear out the abandoned bikes when I pointed out the problem) but nothing else on that front has happened. Since reading about how many bikes have been stolen from bike rooms I haven’t pressed the issue though I would like a place to keep a beater bike. I also lobbied for bike parking in front of the building but management just didn’t understand my request; their response was “but you can use the bike room.” Errrr….not all visitors arrive by car or by foot.

I make sure not to enter an elevator that is crowded with my bike or if there is a nervous dog. I think people have seen me enough times (evidently I’m known as the “bike lady”) to know that I’m respectful of their space and we all get along. I’ve been able to answer a lot of interested questions and concerns about riding in Arlington/DC. Having automated doors helps a lot in keeping potential damage to a minimum (I’ve seen people do worse with luggage and while moving). Speaking of which, are bikes really any different than large wheelie luggage or SUV sized strollers?

[Brent]

@KLizotte 68240 wrote:

Speaking of which, are bikes really any different than large wheelie luggage or SUV sized strollers?

Coincidentally, while I was chatting with the apartment manager, someone came through the front door with one of those double-wide SUV strollers, and was banging into the doors more so than I ever have with a bicycle. I didn’t say anything, but the manager noticed as well, and I think it helped solidify my point.

@KLizotte 68240 wrote:

(they did clear out the abandoned bikes when I pointed out the problem)

At my old apartment, I complained about the clutter in the bike room, because there were very few open spots, and the only two bikes that looked even rideable (apparently this isn’t a word according to my browser’s spell check) were mine and my wife’s. They contacted every resident, asking them to get some sort of tag to put on their bike if it was in the lockers, and after a couple of months, they removed anything that hadn’t been claimed. That ended up being every bike but mine, my wife’s, and two others (out of probably 30-40). I realized that this now made our bikes bigger targets, so I moved ours up to our apartment. Sure enough, the other two were stolen within a day, and no one has used the bike rooms since.

[Author]

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