Comments on: Ask the RIOC: May I Park My Bike Tonight?

By: Cullen

Cullen — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:03:02 +0000

Why not just build enough bike racks to allow the locals to keep their bikes there too? Perhaps, they could rent bike lockers for longer term storage?

By: cr

cr — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:09:08 +0000

I don't understand - you tell Public Safety that you're going to leave your bike there overnight (or for a period of time during the night while your working or whatever), but how do they know it's *your* bike?

By: Roosevelt Islander

Roosevelt Islander — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:50:54 +0000

There is a one week period of time between the removal of the bicycle from the bike rack and when it gets donated to the local Thrift shop.

By: Clarence Eckerson Jr.

Clarence Eckerson Jr. — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:34:35 +0000

Do vehicles on the island in parking spots have to report to RIOC? Enough said...

By: gary fisher

gary fisher — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 20:19:59 +0000

The core of the policy is still BS, they message is that if you park your bike here when you are off island during the day you can use the rack but if you take it off island during the day but lock it there while you sleep you can't. Racks are there to lock bikes on, why should it ever matter when or why you lock your bike there, even if you are using it as storage, if the bike isn't rusting to pieces, who cares!

By: Tony Bullard

Tony Bullard — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 19:01:25 +0000

Sounds like a great way to go out of your way to not have your bike 'donated' only to have it 'donated' anyways. If they're going through the racks every night and removing bikes, do you really want to just hope they identify your bike correctly and not remove it? I wonder if there's a layover time from when they remove before they 'donate' it. I can imagine someone getting off their night shift, finding their bike gone, only to find it's already bent sent off to the store. Yeah, tagging delinquent bikes makes a lot more sense...that's what they do with cars parked on the side of the highway... But those are cars, they're special.

By: Dan Berkman

Dan Berkman — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 18:35:15 +0000

Well it also seems pretty complicated to keep a running log of late night bike users. I can't understand why they don't just tag and remove old bikes. If it turns out that there are tons of people who use their bike occasionally but can't store it in their apartment, maybe they could add more racks or some kind of indoor parking. Obviously the goal of this policy is to make the bike rack area look nice for the curmudgeonly people who complain to RIOC.

By: Kaja

Kaja — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:19:37 +0000

RIOC won't implement that policy because that'd be more work for them, and there's no incentive for them to do additional work.

People respond to incentives, and public servants usually have none save the goodness of their hearts -- and God knows that reservoir must be drained pretty quickly in their line of work.

By: mike

mike — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:14:56 +0000

No. Do drivers need to ask permission to park their 2 ton machines on public property overnight?

I still don't understand why RIOC doesn't implement the policy that NYPD's 9th precinct has -- tag bikes that appear abandoned, and then remove those which haven't been claimed in 2 weeks.