Right to secure parking

[Jonathing]

I work with special needs kids 'in the community' which basically means that I pitch up at people's houses with my bike and then bugger off with their children. Unless the child is one of very few with any road sense at all that means leaving my bike at their house for the duration of my shift, anything between one and eleven hours.

I have a few parents who flatly refuse to provide anywhere for me to leave my bike, expecting me to lock it to a lamp post on the street in some of the less salubrious parts of Portsmouth and the surrounding area. (Less salubrious parts of Portsmouth, isn't that a tautology?) Apart from my natural charm what methods can people recommend of 'persuading' people to let me leave my bike at least in their garden if not indoors? I assume that I have no legal right to secure parking however it's bloody rude not to at least offer. I have tried to convince the child that speaks to pester his mother into letting his carer leave his bike in the shed but so far even pester power hasn't worked.

 

[mightyquin]

You need a rat bike, so no one will want to nick it.

 

[Mad at urage]

If OP is referring to Leigh Park etc, even a rat bike'll likely get dismantled (or just kicked to bits).

 

[Beebo]

I would suggest you talk to your employer to see if they have any influence over their "customers".

 

[Amanda P]

Is it an option to use the argument "if my bike gets nicked, I won't be able to come and look after little Sid any more"?

 

[fenfirsttimer]

Mmmm Rat bike (or something you have no great attachment to) sounds good because if it is in their house/garden unwillingly might they damage it out of spite or something... I am looking at the people in a really bad light here but some folks are weird .

However even I wouldn't want your bike in my actual house......but garden shed or garage - absolutely no probs.

 

[Jonathing]

I ride a deliberately odd looking fixed, based on the Spesh Langster. While it wouldn't cost loads to replace and is far from my best bike I would be buggered if it were nicked.

You'd be surprised how accommodating some parents are. If they're not getting support from anywhere else and their child is a handful we swoop in and give then some time to think. I have clients parent who insist on feeding me when I go to their house. But there are always a few who don't seem to see us as anything more than the help.

I was considering staging having my bike stolen from outside their house in the hope that when it is 'replaced' they'd be more willing to help prevent it happening again.

 

[DrSquirrel]

Bike insurance?

The poor attitude parents I wouldn't shun, as its probably the kids that get it the worst - it would make me want to help them more rather than telling the parents to shove it.

What does your employeer do about transport? surely not everyone on their books cycles or walks?


Is this a charity thing and you dont get paid, or just costs? How long have you been doing this? seems like your bike hasn't been nicked yet... (just sayin' )




Or try riding brakeless, so at least if your bike is stolen - you can have a slight hope that they crashed into something hard

http://www.yehudamoon.com/index.php?date=2010-05-24

 

[Digital_Cowboy]

I work with special needs kids 'in the community' which basically means that I pitch up at people's houses with my bike and then bugger off with their children. Unless the child is one of very few with any road sense at all that means leaving my bike at their house for the duration of my shift, anything between one and eleven hours.

I have a few parents who flatly refuse to provide anywhere for me to leave my bike, expecting me to lock it to a lamp post on the street in some of the less salubrious parts of Portsmouth and the surrounding area. (Less salubrious parts of Portsmouth, isn't that a tautology?) Apart from my natural charm what methods can people recommend of 'persuading' people to let me leave my bike at least in their garden if not indoors? I assume that I have no legal right to secure parking however it's bloody rude not to at least offer. I have tried to convince the child that speaks to pester his mother into letting his carer leave his bike in the shed but so far even pester power hasn't worked.

Jon,

Question, if you drove would you expect the parents to provide you with parking for your car? Or if you worked at the local pub, would you expect your boss to provide you with someplace to park? If not, why expect the parents to provide you with parking for your bike?

Yes, as a matter of courtesy they should provide you with some place secure to lock/store your bike. Can you get to the houses where the parents are less than cooperative via public transportation and not use your bike? If so that might be an option. If not can you get a ride with someone from work?

 

[ufkacbln]

You have to be careful with this.

There have been a number of cases where Health Care Professionals have been stopped from uing bikes because of "Health and Safety"

The case I remember most was a District Nurse who was considered to be at risk on her bike (assault, theft of drugs / equipment0, but eventually won on the grounds that she was experiencing the same risks walking from a car to a patient's house

Are you PCT?

If working in an area, could you use a local Surgery, Clinic, or other facility's grounds to lock the bike?

There are IIRC something like 10 or 12 practices in a small radius around Leigh Park for instance.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

Is there reasonably secure cycle parking in the area?

Would it be possible to cycle there at the appointment time and leave the house in time to get back to the secure store within the allotted appointment period? It gives them the option of lending you the use of a drain pipe or losing 10 minutes of your time.

 

[ufkacbln]

Brompton?

Bit far to walk from Portsmouth?

 

[pshore]

If its part of your work, and walking is impractical, perhaps you can persuade them they should provide you with a bike. Then it is not your bike at risk.

 

[Jonathing]

Jon,

Question, if you drove would you expect the parents to provide you with parking for your car? Or if you worked at the local pub, would you expect your boss to provide you with someplace to park? If not, why expect the parents to provide you with parking for your bike?

Yes, as a matter of courtesy they should provide you with some place secure to lock/store your bike. Can you get to the houses where the parents are less than cooperative via public transportation and not use your bike? If so that might be an option. If not can you get a ride with someone from work?

I'd kind of considered it from this angle, if I were to drive I wouldn't necessarily expect to leave my car in their garage however if it were an area of high car crime then I'd be a bit peeved if they refused to let me park on their drive. And if I worked in a pub, damn straight I'd expect somewhere to leave my bike too! I've seen the sort of kicking bikes outside pubs around here get.

Getting public transport isn't an option, the reason I cycle is that several of my clients live well off of bus routes and not taking my bike to one of a day's shifts would mean not taking it to any of them because there's no way I'd have time to come all the way back home to pick it up between shifts. On average I cover 40 miles a day between kids. I don't work with any other members of staff, I can go weeks without seeing another carer.

Cunobelin: I work for a private agency, there's no way they would ban me from riding, as they don't pay enough to run a car on it's the only way I can get to half of my clients. When you saw me crash into the viaduct in Fareham I was on my way to a client near Collingwood that I wouldn't be able to get to on time by bus from Portsmouth.

DrSquirrel: This isn't so much about the replacement cost of the bike, this is more about being stranded and unable to get to my next appointment, as I mentioned public transport isn't all that helpful when trying to get the the back of beyond for a night shift.
Those of us who don't cycle are either restricted to which clients they work with or have a car which is used to take the children out in.
This thread was inspired by my catching someone (rather inexpertly) trying to steal my bike as I returned to the house pushing a lad in a wheelchair. Rolling up behind him and the boy loudly saying "Jonathan, why is that man trying to take you bike lock off?" seemed to deter him that time.

 

[Digital_Cowboy]

I'd kind of considered it from this angle, if I were to drive I wouldn't necessarily expect to leave my car in their garage however if it were an area of high car crime then I'd be a bit peeved if they refused to let me park on their drive. And if I worked in a pub, damn straight I'd expect somewhere to leave my bike too! I've seen the sort of kicking bikes outside pubs around here get.

Sorry, the pub example wasn't really the best. And you're right in that if one worked at a pub they should provide some sort of parking for bikes.

Getting public transport isn't an option, the reason I cycle is that several of my clients live well off of bus routes and not taking my bike to one of a day's shifts would mean not taking it to any of them because there's no way I'd have time to come all the way back home to pick it up between shifts. On average I cover 40 miles a day between kids. I don't work with any other members of staff, I can go weeks without seeing another carer.

Cunobelin: I work for a private agency, there's no way they would ban me from riding, as they don't pay enough to run a car on it's the only way I can get to half of my clients. When you saw me crash into the viaduct in Fareham I was on my way to a client near Collingwood that I wouldn't be able to get to on time by bus from Portsmouth.

DrSquirrel: This isn't so much about the replacement cost of the bike, this is more about being stranded and unable to get to my next appointment, as I mentioned public transport isn't all that helpful when trying to get the the back of beyond for a night shift.
Those of us who don't cycle are either restricted to which clients they work with or have a car which is used to take the children out in.
This thread was inspired by my catching someone (rather inexpertly) trying to steal my bike as I returned to the house pushing a lad in a wheelchair. Rolling up behind him and the boy loudly saying "Jonathan, why is that man trying to take you bike lock off?" seemed to deter him that time.