{"id":426,"date":"2013-05-15T17:18:07","date_gmt":"2013-05-15T17:18:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mydoorsign.com/blog\/?p=426"},"modified":"2019-08-01T09:51:51","modified_gmt":"2019-08-01T09:51:51","slug":"upsurge-in-nyc-bike-rooms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mydoorsign.com/blog\/upsurge-in-nyc-bike-rooms\/","title":{"rendered":"Upsurge in bikers means more bike rooms in NYC"},"content":{"rendered":"

Buildings often have a room to hang your coat, but how about a room to store your bike? Since it\u2019s National Bike to Work Week, bikes are definitely on everyone\u2019s brain. It\u2019s no secret that bikes are great for fitness and weight loss<\/a>, and it\u2019s expensive and exasperating to have them stolen. Thanks to new initiatives such as bike share programs<\/a>, city dwellers can choose bicycles as alternative transportation more easily than ever.<\/p>\n

\"Bike<\/a>

The famous bike room at the Empire State building<\/p><\/div>\n

New York is a city chock full of bicycle commuters, and the city has seen an increase in bicycle rooms in buildings for cyclists to store their bikes. Bike rooms are springing up all over Manhattan. Bike rooms are ideal places for commuters to drop off their bikes when they head to work or run errands; cyclists don\u2019t have to worry about leaving their bikes exposed to weather or theft<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One famous bike room<\/a> is near northern TriBeca, where unused storage space off Charlton Street, adjacent to a loading dock, was converted into a bike storage room. It typically holds 35 or 40 bicycles a day. Other locations include the Avenue of the Americas, Madison Avenue, and even the Empire State Building. That particular bike room is 780 square feet of retail space.<\/p>\n

Installing a bike room is becoming a popular way for landlords to attract new tenants or increase their income by renting the space to local bike commuters. It\u2019s also a green-friendly initiative; bike rooms are positive contributions to the environment and help improve public perception of a business.<\/p>\n

So what stops a lot of buildings with bike rooms from getting LEED  certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) to officially verify that they are \u2018green\u2019 buildings? The U.S. Green Building Council only awards LEED compliance to organizations with bike rooms that have showers and changing rooms. For many landlords, these are costly, overly spacious, and unnecessary for those who commute short distances. However, the LEED certification is coveted because it is considered trustworthy. Therefore, the prevalence of bike rooms depends on a landlord\u2019s willingness to spend extra leasing funds on the additional space and shower rooms.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

In a New York Times<\/i> article<\/a>, Transportation Alternative director Noah Budnick says, \u201cThe law just requires that the buildings let the people get their bikes from the street to the office. They\u2019re both good solutions\u2026We\u2019re hearing more and more that this is a selling point for the real estate industry. You\u2019re seeing office spaces marketed with bike rooms, which is pretty awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"U-lock<\/a>

How to properly<\/a> lock the bike<\/p><\/div>\n

Whether bikers work in buildings that have bike rooms or not, it is absolutely necessary to lock up their bikes. Some tips for locking up your bike<\/a> include: buying a cable and a u-lock, and positioning your bike frame and wheels so that you take up as much of the open space between the lock and the bike as possible.<\/p>\n

The advent of bike rooms will help cycling stay at the forefront of people\u2019s minds. Cycling rooms provide safety and convenience for cyclers, and will help cement biking as a regular part of people\u2019s lives. Hopefully New York will not be the only city that sees an upswing in the availability of bike rooms.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

[<\/p>\n

\"Bicycle<\/a>

View this sign Guide cyclists <\/a>to places where they can store their bikes<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Like this topic? Check out our related products:<\/h3>\n