It would be so nice, if it weren't for the management.

[tysolna]

Just got a letter sent to everyone in the building from the management company of the building I live in. Oh no wait, let me first elaborate.
There is a nook in the hallway, totally out of the way, where three parties in the building store their bikes. There are another two bikes out of the way on the first landing. Disturbing, oh let me think, nobody. There is nowhere outside the building where we can safely store our bikes (say, a communal bike shed), and there is no room inside the flats for bikes. Even if it were, there would be dirt and oil and whatnot in the flats, and I don't think the owners want that.
The letter asks us, in the management-speak I know so well by now, to remove the bikes as they are a trip hazard (they are not, but oh well).

What I will do is put a little letter on all of the bikes asking whether we want to ask the management company for a communal bike shed on or at the property. There is certainly room enough outside for one. It's not like we want to be a trip hazard. But we also don't want our bikes stolen.

Does that sound like a good idea?

Comments

[winterbadger]

I think that's an excellent idea. I tried hard to get my landlady to spring for a shed (we've never been allowed to keep our bikes in the interior hall, where, to be fair, they would be a severe hazard to fire evacuation). In the end, all I was able to get was some bollards installed to lock bikes to, which was not much improvement over the previous situation (locking them to the backstairs), but it seems like a good idea to at least try.

[vgqn.livejournal.com]

Sounds good to me. And without seeing the actual hallways, they may have a point in terms of fire evacuation, as winterbadger mentions.

In my experience, the easier you make it for someone to do something for you, the more likely it is to happen. So if you researched appropriate sheds and gave the management some specific references, it might help your case. Also, it might help ensure that you get a shed that's the proper size. I can just imagine someone installing a shed that is only big enough for one bicycle placed diagonally.

Good luck!