Bikes in Buildings: What You Need to Know
In August 2009, Mayor Bloomberg signed the Bicycle Access to Office Buildings Law (Local Law 52), aimed at providing secure bike parking at office buildings throughout the City during the work day. The law aims to increase bicycle commuting by removing a commonly cited barrier - the inability to safely store bikes during work hours - and goes into effect Friday, December 11, 2009.

As a cycling commuter, here's what you need to know:

The Law
The new law applies to commercial office buildings with at least one freight elevator. You and your coworkers may not file requests for bicycle access yourselves - requests must be filed by a representative of the company you work for: the tenant, subtenant, leaseholder, or an authorized representative of the leaseholder.

The law requires that office buildings grant bicycle access to their tenants (such as your employer) but it does not require that employers grant bicycle access to their employees. Convincing your employer of the benefits of having employees bike to work is up to you and your fellow cyclist co-workers.

The Process
Individuals or employees who wish to bring bicycles into their workplace should ask their employers to request bicycle access from the building owner. Employers (building tenants or subtenants) who request bicycle access are responsible for providing appropriate areas within their leased space to store bicycles.

The Bicycle Access to Office Buildings Law goes into effect on December 11, but buildings are not required to allow bicycles inside until a tenant files a formal request for bicycle access using an official form. After a tenant requests access, the building has 30 days to either implement a Bicycle Access Plan or inform the tenant that it has applied for an exception to the law.

Suggestions

• If you work in a small office, you can probably approach your employer about bike access directly. If you work in a larger office, you could contact staff in Human Resources, Facilities, Administration or Environmental Affairs to make your request or ask for more information.
• Talk to other cyclists in your office to develop an estimate of how many employees would be interested in an opportunity for secure bicycle parking. This number will be important to your employer in making a Tenant Request and could also provide compelling information about the need for improved parking options.
• Need help convincing your employer? Visit the employee information page on the DOT's website for selling points on bike commuting and indoor bike parking.

Cities for Cycling

L to R: Congressman Earl Blumenauer; Bruce Katz, Brookings vice president and director of the Metropolitan Policy Program; artist/musician David Byrne and NYCDOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. to kick off Cities for Cycling.

This week Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan joined Congressman Earl Blumenauer, artist/musician David Byrne and city officials from Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington D.C. to launch Cities for Cycling.

This new effort by city governments aims to promote best practices in urban cycling and to increase the use of bicycles to improve urban mobility, livability and public health while reducing traffic congestion and CO2 emissions.

Cycling is booming in cities across the nation. Based on the American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, cycling as a share of transportation is up in major cities by as much as 72% from 2007-2008, with an average growth rate of over 30%. New York's recent commuter cycling numbers showed a dramatic increase of 26% from 2008-2009.

Still, much work remains to make cycling a more mainstream mobility option. Providing safe, comfortable, convenient bicycling facilities has allowed cities like Portland, New York and others to vastly increase commuter cycling and drive down injuries and fatalities to cyclists. From protected cycle-tracks to bike boxes and special traffic signals for bikes; Cities for Cycling seeks to share these best practices among leading cities and encourage State and Federal governments to adopt the new design treatments emerging from cities as standard practices, opening up funding and technical support opportunities and cutting red tape. For more information, visit citiesforcycling.org.

Safety Tip :
Exercise has been proven to improve your mood and can help fight off those extra holiday pounds. So keep cycling during the winter months, just make sure you have good bike lights, warm clothes (layering works well), gloves, windproof shoes and warm, but thin head covering that will fit under your helmet and protect your ears. Remember to clean your bike chain if it gets gunked up with sand and road grit after the snow, and keep it well lubed. And have fun!