Where to keep my bicycle that i use to commute??

[xtreme0964]

Good afternoon everyone,
Im curious about where i should keep my bike as ive just been told after a few years in my office to keep my pushbike upstairs surely thats health and safety?
The room where the three bikes are has been used as a dumping room but i get changed there as i have a 13 mile commute each way to work and home but feel like us cyclists are just having our bikes pushed out of the office, I confronted the manager about it stating its dangerous to be carrying a bike up to a first floor but just get told the bike storage is upstairs in the drying room?
Help please as im sure its up to royal mail to safely be able to store my bike? i maybe wrong but surely if i slipped then its down to the manager and the apparent health and safety rep that told the manager to put the bikes upstairs?

[shepherdess]

Haven't you got room for a bike shed outside ?

[yellowbelly]

Help please as im sure its up to royal mail to safely be able to store my bike? i maybe wrong but surely if i slipped then its down to the manager and the apparent health and safety rep that told the manager to put the bikes upstairs?

Don't think RM have a legal obligation to provide bike storage - just because they've said 'You can store it upstairs'
doesn't mean you have to. Obviously don't know the physical layout of your workplace but I'm assuming
you don't have a secure yard by the sounds of it and if it was locked up outside the building it would be at
risk of theft and in the elements. As it sound like there are several of you with bikes in there any scope
for getting an outside bike shed under some sort of 'welfare' provision?

But as you've already identified it would be dangerous to carry a bike upstairs, if you fell you would have
some degree of responsibility for any incident, it would not be solely 'down to the manager' or H&S rep
- the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASAWA) requires you as an employee to take reasonable care for the health and safety of yourself..etc etc..

Can't believe the H&S rep said the bikes could be put upstairs!!!!

[xtreme0964]

I was quite surprised with that too regarding the h&s rep but unfortunately our yard is tiny and we can only fit about 6/7 vans, we have no room to fit bike sheds as before i started nobody used bikes (apparently)
We have no shed or even a lockup to put one bike let alone three, we did store them by the fire exit but apparently we are not allowed since a third bike started storing there.
I did have an argument with the manager about me taking the bike upstairs as i was saying no and refusing to take the bike up and also refusing to leave it outside unlocked where it would be too easy for someone to walk by it.
So i was within my right to refuse to keep it outside or upstairs

I will speak to my rep on tuesday when i am back and he is off holiday

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Here is the good news:

You are within your rights to refuse to carry it upstairs because of H&S concerns.

However, the manager is also within his rights to refuse you permission to bring the bicycle on to Royal Mail premises for the same reason. The manager also has no legal responsibility or compulsion that means you can force him to allow storage of your bicycle on the premises. So no you can't insist you be allowed to store it on the site, instead of outside.

The way I understand it the law applies the same way as people commuting to work by car as it does to you commuting by cycle. Its your responsibility to get to work, RM don't have to provide parking spaces for either type of vehicle and the security of them is down to the individual owner, not the businesses. That's why you get the signs about vehicle's being left at the owner's risk.

You should be able to come to a compromise, but as both of you have certain legal rights and responsibilities insisting on doing it your way may end up in being refused permission to store your cycle anywhere. Can't you the manager and rep all sit-down and agree on something.

[glenfiddich]

I'd stick with storing it upstairs more secure than chained up outside or in a bike shed

[centenaryman]

Ive got a Halfords cycle to work bike,,,,,we have a bike shed....a mate has a boardman,,,lot dearer than mine,,,,sometime between 10am-2pm someone from the town has waltzed into the yard and bolt cut through his lock and rode off with his bike,,,,he still owes hundreds.

Boss got us now to store bikes inside and some upstairs,,,,,me personally am happy to carry my bike upstairs just for the peace of mind.

[IloveMYredTROLLEY!]

If only a company that used bikes to deliver mail until recently (some still do) had the crazy idea to have secure on-site bike lockers outside!

[DB1100]

Ive got a Halfords cycle to work bike,,,,,we have a bike shed....a mate has a boardman,,,lot dearer than mine,,,,sometime between 10am-2pm someone from the town has waltzed into the yard and bolt cut through his lock and rode off with his bike,,,,he still owes hundreds.

Boss got us now to store bikes inside and some upstairs,,,,,me personally am happy to carry my bike upstairs just for the peace of mind.

Thats happened at our place,I would be happy to carry mine up a flight of stairs to keep it safe.

[wannabeek]

Yes, I used to carry one up three flights of stairs outside my flat and then bolted it to the wall every night when I used to live in the city. Personally I would rather do that than be refused any storage at work and be made to leave it in a public place.

[yellowbelly]

There's a letter and response about storing bicycles at work in the Apr 15 Courier, letters page. Someone in a similar situation to yourself.

Not much of an answer that will help you though......

Look for it in Courier archive here:

http://www.myroyalmail.com/courier/all" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;