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What does the Gateway Code say about Tenant and Employee bicycle parking?
The section of the Gateway Code on long-term (over two hours) bicycle parking is yet another part of this document that has the appearance of being copied from somewhere else and never really thought about.
If you want to read about the deficiencies of this portion of the Code, see David Loya’s Misunderstanding: Tenant Bicycle Storage doesn’t have to be Indoors.
This article will show pictures of what the Code — as it is written — would allow.
The Code says:
b. Security. Long‐term bicycle parking spaces shall be secured. Spaces are
considered secured if they are:
c. In a locked room or area enclosed by a fence with a locked gate;
d. Within view or within one hundred feet of an attendant or security guard;
e. In an area that is monitored by a security camera; or
f. Visible from employee work areas.
(Note: This is written as “c, d, e, f” and it should be “(i), (ii), (iii) and (iv).” )
This list uses the word “or” — so any one of these will satisfy the Gateway Code’s requirements for secured bicycle storage / parking.
1. In a locked room
The Code doesn’t say anything about not having to lift your bicycle onto a rack. Lifting a bicycle, particularly an e-bike, can be difficult for many people. The Code also says nothing about wall outlets for chargers for e-bikes.
2. Area enclosed by a fence with a locked gate
3. Within view or within one hundred feet of an attendant or security guard
The current Gateway Code does not even require that the bike area be locked, if there is a security camera, an attendant that is within 100 feet, or if it’s visible from an employee work area. Would you store your bike here? The building manager could be in an office on the 2nd floor, with no direct view bikes. They’d be within 100 feet, and that’s what the code requires.
4. In an area that is monitored by a security camera
According to the current Gateway Code, the bike storage does not have to be inside. It does not have to be behind a fence. The bike parking can be behind a building, where nobody can see it — if there is a security camera there.
5. Visible from employee work areas
We assume an employee is inside. The bike is visible from work areas. It doesn’t matter that the employee has their backs to the windows for most of the day. The Gateway Code only requires that the bike parking be visible from employee work areas.
What the Gateway Code bike parking is not
It is not indoor bike lockers
It is not outdoor bike lockers
It is not necessarily behind a locked gate. It could be, but it does not have to be.
And… it is not China. Just joking!
For more on the China bike-sharing fiasco and some amazing photos, visit Bike Sharing in China makes for BIG problems.
