Avalos Proposes Law Allowing Bikes in All SF Offices

By Peter Jamison Fri., Sep. 23 2011 at 10:38 AM

Categories: Politics, Transportation, bikes

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Many bicycle commuters have felt it: The hostility and sidelong stares as they wheel their vehicles among quiet cubicles, the shame of leaving a valuable bike locked curbside to a teetering street sign. But help could be nigh: Supervisor John Avalos has proposed a city ordinance that would relieve bicyclists of their status as second-class commuters.

This week Avalos introduced legislation that would make it illegal for businesses to ban employees from bringing bikes into the office. New York City already has a similar law on the books.

"One of the ways that we can really assure our bikes are safe from theft is to be able to bring them into our buildings," Avalos told Streetsblog SF.

The devil, of course, is in the details: As currently written, the law contains some exemptions that might require explication.

Offices in buildings where "substantial safety risks" exist from bringing a bike into an elevator or where "secure alternate covered off-street parking or secure alternate indoor no-cost bicycle parking" is available elsewhere within three blocks can still tell their employees to check the wheels at the door.

Might businesses construe these clauses a bit liberally in their efforts to prevent employees from bringing bikes into the office? We'll doubtless hear plenty of debate on that topic as the Board of Supervisors hammers out the ordinance. Stay tuned.

Here's a copy of the proposed legislation.

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