macteacher

I wanted to share the following letter I wrote to my local bank regarding the lack of bike parking. If anyone has any similar bike parking issues feel free to copy and adjust my letter to suit your needs if you so wish. I think if we all wrote letters to our near by local businesses it would be a positive step in helping to bring about change. Let me know what you think.

The Letter


Dear ______________


About a year ago I wrote you a letter congratulating you and your staff for the high caliber of customer service I was receiving. To date I continue to be impressed by the level of care and speediness of service that I and all other customers receive. You truly have a branch to be proud of. I would however like to offer a humble suggestion to improve your current level of service to all.
As a customer who commutes to your branch by bicycle, I have no place to park my bike while at your branch. I am an all year cyclist-commuter and am often at your branch. I invariably end up locking my bicycle up along the railway that people use to walk up to the bank. I simply have nowhere else to lock it up. This has a four-fold effect. The elderly or disabled requiring assistance arriving at your branch are not able to hold the railing while walking up the slope. Secondly the locked bicycles are an obstruction to the pedestrian path, thirdly if anyone bumps into my bicycle it may rub against the steel railing that can result in paint damage for the railing and my bike and lastly only a couple bicycles can be secured to the railing at any given time.
On several occasions in the warm months of the year, there are other cyclists who are using the banks facilities, either inside or at the ATM. They leave their bicycles in one of three locations. Locked along the ramp railing, leaned up against the glass window of the bank (which has several hazards) or laying them flat on the ground around the entrance. Obviously you can understand the problem these ‘parking’ locations create. If there was a bike rack outside your branch along the front window, this would alleviate all of the above mentioned problems. Your pedestrian and cyclist customers would all be satisfied. There is plenty of room for a small rack that could hold 4-5 bicycles just to the side of the main entrance and the costs of such a rack would be minimal.
In today’s world of high energy prices, traffic congestion and increased pollution this would be a positive green initiative that your branch could endorse and it would be noticed by the community at large. No other bank or business as far as I know in the surrounding area has a bike rack for its customers. If you endorse my recommendation your entrance way would become safer for all, it would be appreciated by all of your cyclist customers and your actions may inspire other local businesses to follow in your steps.
Thank you for taking the time to read my letter and if you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me.

mrlassiter

^^^ excellently written. (nuff sed)

savethekudzu

It might also be worth pointing out how little an inexpensive bike rack could cost (at least, listing a price range).

For example:

https://www.bikerackshops.com/groupoutdoorracks.html

yohannrjm

That's a well written letter, pointing out the danger/inconvenience of the lack of a bike rack, as well as the advantages of having one. If it gets read, I'll be surprised if it is dismissed off-hand.

The only issue is your use of the word 'railway' in the second paragraph. For a moment I thought you were parking your bike on the railway tracks ------ did some head scratching there.

Good job, hope it works out.

tsl

Nice.

I chose my bank specifically because they have a bike rack next to the door. The plow guy was plowing it in during the winter, but a quiet word with the manager fixed that.

treebound 

Nice letter, but I suspect the first change you'll see will be a sign stating not to lock bicycles to the ramp railing. You did a very nice job detailing several potential issues and liabilities for the bank, not the least of which is potential infringement with ADA concerns (American Disabilities Act). The ADA enforcers have a huge hammer that is levied swiftly and without restraint.

If anything I might adjust the letter, point out why you "don't" want to hitch your bike to the railing, and then offer to set up a meeting time to discuss a variety of options. Good luck with your quest, I hope it goes well.

Edit: I just noticed that you're in Ontario so please excuse the ADA and adjust accordingly for your country. I believe you have a similar agency and concerns up there. Sorry for not noticing that when I first posted.

ews

As an aside, do they not have ATMs in Canada? Who the hell goes to a bank "often?"

To the point: If you sent this letter to some coffeeshop on a busy Ontario street, and instead asked that they build a parking lot, what do you think they'd do? They'd laugh in your face. Where does this sense of entitlement come from? I ride a bike and therefore every private business must provide me with secure bike lockups!

It certainly doesn't hurt to ask for a rack, but your rationale is poor IMHO.

3bikes

Perhaps if you added that banks with bike racks are more likely to be profitably merged into another bank...... oh, there I go....

Nice letter with explanations of the problem and suggestions for a solution. Does this get read by someone who makes a decision? We can only hope.

I sent a web-site "contact us" letter to the owners of Westfield Shopping Center (Los Angeles, Santa Monica Blvd) after trying to find a place to park my bike while shopping at a Bloomingdales. A newly renovated, open air shopping complex with theatres, restaurants, stores... the whole bit... with an undersized parking garage that wasn't touched during this renovation. In the evening, a person can wander for 15 minutes or more, just trying to find a space in the two levels of underground parking.

I ended up locking my bike, with u-lock and cables to a water pipe just outside of Macy's.... to the grim looks of a mall cop. Later, I talked to a different mall cop and asked about bike parking. He said there was a valet service at the grocery store. RIGHT. That evening, I rode around the mall, looked everywhere, not one bike rack or hoop. Oh yes, not a bike valet as the m-cop stated. (Southern CA.... people valet their cars going to the gym... not kidding).

Santa Monica Blvd at that point has wide bicycle lanes, Century City and Rancho Park & West LA residential areas are densely populated and yet... not one bike rack at the Westfield Mall. I tried writing a nice letter explaining the benefits of providing a few bike parking areas in the shopping complex... weeks and weeks later I got a general "thank you for contacting us". Maybe I'm being harsh... but if they did spend a few grand on good bike parking, it would pay for itself with people shopping there, who hate driving there. It sure would be nice if they did it and I would be the first to write a big thank you letter to the company, after spending some money at Bloomingdales.

-3bikes

macteacher

Thanks for all the tips, they are well noted. I had been meaning to write to the bank months earlier but I kept putting it off due to laziness. I suggest we all write to our local small businesses and push them to facilitate our cycling needs.

*edit* I think my letter will be read. About a year ago I wrote a letter to the bank manager and she called me back thanking me for the time I took to write to her. So im fairly confident she will read it.

treebound 

Treading lightly here so as not to start a flamefest, and not knowing for certain all the parameters of the bank in question....
Banks are a unique situation in that some don't allow cyclists in the drive-up windows, some don't allow bicycles in the lobby, some have their walk-up ATMs in covered vestibules or inside the front entry and don't allow bicycles inside that area. Some banks and some other businesses make it down right nearly impossible to do business with them if you arrive on a bicycle (case in point: WalMart).

I'm not directly familiar with downtown Ontario, the only big city I've been to in Canada is Vancouver, B.C., but if it's anything like other big cities then there are sometimes other nearby options to secure bicycles, so asking the coffee shop to build a parking lot is not a good analogy. However, asking the city to provide bicycle racks since the city also provides curbside parking spaces would be a reasonable request. Throw in the possibility of parking meters on those bike racks and you'd probably have a thousand of them by Springtime.

If I go to a bank by car I can find a parking spot (usually). If I arrive by motorcycle I can use the car spots and lock the motorcycle. If I arrive by bicycle then I have to find someplace to park it securely, unless I'm the guy on this or another forum who rides that Surly cargo bike and just parks it in a car spot (probably much to the chagrin of motorists). I don't have a sense of entitlement but I would like to be accomodated. I can't speak for the OP of this thread.

craigR

Excellent letter. Pointing out the banks strong points and reinforcing why you do business there is a terrific way to start. You have also made a strong argument why there should be a bike rack outside.

My only suggestion is maybe think about excluding the statement, "No other bank or business as far as I know in the surrounding area has a bike rack for its customers." This can only show the reader that they're currently part of the "norm" and it's perfectly acceptable to not provide this service because nobody else in the community does either. Unfortunately, our society is made up of people that must first look around and see if their decision would be excepted by others before deciding to do something different than someone else. You've given lot's of reasons why your bank should provide a bike rack, I hate to see you show them one reason why they should not because people that don't cycle or care about doing anything green will come up with enough reasons on their own.

Good luck, and again, well written.

P.S. I am looking to write a similar letter to a local shopping complex here with almost 50 stores and only 3 bike racks that accept 2 bikes each which are always filled. You have given me a couple ideas, thank you.

Navy_Chief

What is it with people that jump on every attempt to get some adequate facilities installed with pure rhetoric like this. What is the problem with letting a business know that you would like safe place to park your bike when you do business there. There is no sense of entitlement involved, it is a simple request to meet the needs of the customer. And the example of the coffee shop is purely ridiculous, he is not asking the bank to expand their grounds to accommodate him, simple to use a few square feet of space they already have to install a simple bike rack.

I thought it was an extremely well written letter that hopefully will get a response from the business in question. I am thinking that I can very easily modify this to suit my needs here.

HOV

As a matter of style, I'd remove all the kudos up front and just get to the point. Good letter and good effort.

thebarerider

I thought you stopped commuting? Or was that just to work?

ItoDoeblin

I figure it can never hurt to ask (although thats an interesting point above about the immediate effect being a sign directing patrons not to lock bikes to the railing - that is a distinct possibility)

I know my bank doesn't have a bike rack, but they haven't given me any trouble about riding through the drive through. Only incident I've had is the teller cracking up and not being able to process my transactions when a car behind me decided that I didn't belong there and had a minor meltdown. They are very supportive and customer retention oriented, as I have seen most local banks/CUs to be.

Tex_Arcana

Since the mall doesn't make money directly from the shoppers that go there maybe you should try sending letters to the merchants . They are the ones that are the malls "customers". If the merchants start asking for bike racks for their customers you're more likely to see them.

Tex_Arcana

I think some folks like to feel persecuted and put down. It's probably like a mild form of Munchausen. They want the sympathy of being downtrodden. If someone were successful at removing their reason for being persecuted ("Woe is me, no one respects cyclists, businesses won't put in bike racks for us."), with a simple letter then it invalidates their reason to be miserable, and shows them how silly they are.

Therefore, any effort to make anything better is to be ridiculed before it has a chance to succeed.

timmhaan

well, he's addressing a problem he currently has, a problem that other cyclists obviously have, and a safety issue that potentially affects other people.

it's really not okay to lock a bike up to a railing on a handicapped entrance, and it sounds like there is really no other options here (except that he park elsewhere and walk over).

macteacher

I did stop commuting after my incident. However, I have given it a lot of though since then and I want to start up again. Work begins in September, but I am slowly getting back into the groove of things by completing my errands by bike. I posted a note a couple days ago, stating of my return to the two wheeled beast!!!!

As for 'other' locations to park. There is a tree near by, but my u-lock will not wrap around it. The railing is it. I'll be heading that way today and will take some photo's.

As for the individual who commented that nobody goes to the bank anymore,...well I do. Everyone is different and some people still need to see a teller on a regular basis.

macteacher

Update:

I went to bank #1, and dropped my letter off. From there I walked over to Bank #2 did my banking and walked back to bank#1.

I rode to bank #3, about 4km away. Locked the bike to a street sign. While in the bank I happened to start talking to the bank manager. I asked what would it take to install a bike rack. Apparently they are going to remodel the parking lot and she never even considered installing a bike rack. She told me now that I brought it to her attention, she will put the order in to have one installed.

So...if you happen to see a parking lot being renovated and you frequent said place, it is worth it to talk to the manager to inquire about bike racks. If this 3rd bank manager is any indication, people don't even think about installing bike racks.

thebarerider

Sweet! I missed the note. Glad to hear you're back in the saddle.

Bike4More

My bank has a security guard out front all the time. I lean it against the wall and he watches it for me.

In your case it sounds like you will have good luck with the bank.

I have a similar problem at my neighborhood supermarket. They do not have a bike rack so I park my bike just inside the front door. They have not complained yet but when they do I will point out their lack of facilities.

I went to a local discount department store to purchase some work clothes and when I parked the bike inside the front door they had a fit. They insisted that I move the bike outside. I informed them of their lack of a rack and they did not care. They instructed me to lock my bike to a tree!? WTF.
I asked what they would say if it were a wheelchair, walker, or stroller? They said that would be different, they would be allowed.

deez

I do the same thing at my bank, same plan.

Although I think the OP's method is more elegant than this. Maybe I'll ask my bank's branch manager about getting one put in.

ews

That was awesome! Bravo!

billallbritten

My bank uses bikes (kind of a lime green cruiser style, you'll know who I'm talking about) in its national ads but has no bike racks at its branches. <sigh>