this sounds like the same kind of bullshit i came up against with the building i work at. they kept telling me they couldn't allow me to bring my bike in because it violates fire codes. one day i decided to do some research and found out that bringing a bicycle into a building violates no city codes whatsoever. i demanded that the manager show me evidence of this law, which he obviously couldn't. needless to say, i bring my bike into work every day now with no problems. the point is people make a lot of their judgments, which adversely affect us(bicyclists), based on nothing more than assumption.

it sounds like this person may not be the brightest bulb on the christmas tree anyway. if she does it again, ask to speak to her superior and ask them what the rule is. also, explain to them that there are plenty of banks that cater to bikers, if they aren't willing.

All platinum and many other credit cards provide insurance against damage to the rented vehicle, but I've never seen a card that provides *liability* insurance.

Individual car owners' policies typically apply to rented vehicles, but of course non-owners would not have such a policy.

Most rental operations (though evidently not the Home Depot) will sell liability insurance as an add-on for $8-$15 per day; Some include for free the basic insurance you need to drive legally.

Finally, I've heard that it is possible to get a "non-owner's" liability policy equivalent to what one would buy as an auto owner, but I've no idea if any companies in New York State issue such a policy. Given the insurance regulation situation here, I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out to be illegal.

Care to name an insurer that will write that policy?

Well I needed some home improvement supplies for a kitchen floor renovation that included 4, 4'x8' sheets of 1/4 inch plywood and a roll of vinyl flooring and some other odds and ends. Well I tried using a small skateboard sized dolly to transport the plywood sheets but it was unwieldy and I could control it properly for the approximate mile and a half I needed to travel so I asked the tool rental counter to rent me one of the large orange carts used in the store and parking lot (which many customers take off the premises anyhow without permission and then leave discarded around the neighborhood)
I was told that they do not rent the carts and to go to the special services counter to ask permission. The women at the special services counter told me that they do not allow customers to use the carts to transport materials to their homes even if nearby.

I returned the plywood aborted the project for the day and later decided that I would rent one of the vans that they have for rent at $19.95 for 75 minutes. I wanted to assure that things ould go smoothly so I inquired about the details about the truck and van rentals at the tool rental counter. I was told that I would have to leave a credit card, and also show a valid drivers license which was what I expected, then the UNclincher, I would be required to show a valid automobile insurance policy in my name? I told the toll rental guy that this didn't make sense because if I had a vehicle why would I rent one? When I did have my car I often hauled plywood, sheetrock and other materials tied to the roof and even hauled large quantities of cement and other items using the trunk, passenger seat and floor,and back seat and floor.

Now that I had given up my vehicle I would not be allowed to rent one even though I possess a valid driver's license? Home depot employees told me it was because Home depot did not want to be responsible for the insurance.

My insurance premiums were approximately $86.00 per month, a few dollars cheaper if I paid in a 6 month lump sum. Say even if it was $90.00 per month that would work out to about three dollars a day or about $00.125 (twelve and a half cents) per hour and for 75 minutes it would be a little over $00.15 cents.

Now even if I was a younger higher risk driver and my insurance costs were 10 times the amount which would be about $860 dollars monthly or $10,320 annually which to me sounds pretty astronomical(unless you consider it rent and live in your car) Well why can't they tack on a little extra for insurance say another few 2-3 dollars or even 5 dollars should be quite more than necessary for a 75 minute rental. If the renter has their own policy then this charge could be skipped. Large corporations like the U.S. Post Office, Verizon and I would Imagine the Home Depot are'nt even required to be insured by a third party insurance company because they have enough assets to be self insured but I think they could still use a third party insurer if they wanted to.

In the end the type of discrimination you describe against people who do not own and use a motor vehicle is similar. In this case it's even more maddening because it would make sense to provide a rental vehicle to customers that do not own a vehicle so that they may purchase and transport supplies from the store. Delivery costs are about $75.00 and on a purchase of about $150.00 seems quite ridiculous and prohibitive and I personally am not going to spend and additional 50% to have my purchase delivered. Renting the vehicle at $19.95 plus mileage costs (which I never even got to the point of discussing)
plus an insurance charge (If they had one) would of probably put my transport costs at around $30.00 which would be an additional 20% above the actual material costs. I think 20% though steep still would of been acceptable and I would of been very satisfied that there was an actually feasible way to buy and transport large and heavy goods from the home depot and transport them without having to own my own vehicle.

Today I will try and purchase some of my materials (the plywood sheets) and transport them tied vertically to a hand truck which should be quite an experience navigating down the sidewalks and through streets.

http://www.greenhummerproject.org/video/drive_thru.mov

All five of these argue that it's absurd to subject bicyclists to all of the same traffic laws as motor vehicles. Either change the traffic laws to be more sympathetic to bicyclists, or create a third class of traffic rules and infrastructure between pedestrians and motor vehicles. Pedestrians are not bicyclists (they're different by 3 of the above criteria) and bicyclists are not vehicles. See how much energy a driver has to expend to stop at a stop sign and accelerate again - versus yourself on a bike. And see how much it hurts when a motor vehicle hits you as a pedestrian versus a bicyclist.

So which is it, people? If you don't want to be treated like a vehicle, expect to be discriminated against and treated like a 2nd class citizen.

If you want to be treated like a vehicle, right on then. Go after folks who treat you like 2nd class citizens, including the ones at this particular Commerce Bank location.

I've got both wheels firmly planted in the "bikes are vehicles" camp. That means give cyclists equal respect and treatment on the road (or at drive-throughs on private property). Don't act like cyclists are pedestrians and belong on the sidewalk.

Now here's what the V&T law in NYS State says: Bikes aren't vehicles. Bikes are defined as a 2-wheeled human powered device. Bikes are defined as a legitimate part of traffic, along with vehicles, farm equipment, pedestrians, and, believe it or not, herded animals. I don't have all the exact citation numbers with me. That said, the law then goes on to state that cyclists have all the rights & responsibilities as drivers of vehicles (that is, bikes are to be treated as vehicles both by cyclists and by others on the road, though they are not defined as such). That applies to the roads. Whether it applies to private property like Mickey D's is another question, and I don't know the answer to it.

I know this was touched upon, but why the hell are drive-throughs even allowed in NYC where in 2005, less than 20% of people owned cars?!?! (according to best stats available that I gathered for a paper I did last year)

Right behind where I work there is Commerce Bank branch. They installed a drive-through when they moved into the old historic bank building despite the fact that the branch is in a central business district with WAY MORE pedestrian traffic than cars. However, almost every I go past I see the cars racing to the drive-through nearly hitting the pedestrians on the sidewalk.

Do yourself a favor and put your money in a credit union if you can. For-profit banks will never see my money if I can help it.

And BTW. Do we really need to do banking 7 days a week particularly with ATMs and electronic banking? I personally find this push to have everything open at all times disgusting and refuse to do business on Sundays as a matter of principle. Let the workiers go home and be with their families for God's sake!

It's not appropriate for a business to discriminate against one class of customers just because the managers believe that the potential profit isn't worth the risk.