How to make your condo bicycle-friendly

Bicycles in condominiums shouldn’t be an issue, but in many buildings, unfortunately, they are. This is often due to a clause found in the declaration that bikes are not permitted to be stored on balconies or taken through hallways and common elements, including elevators.

This causes a few problems:

• In many older buildings, there are no storage lockers or racks to accommodate bicycles, so residents often have no choice but to keep their bikes inside their unit or on the balcony.
• Newer buildings offer bicycle storage lockers or racks because developers are required to provide one bike storage unit for every unit, but they are often “sold” at an additional cost, so not every owner will buy one.
• Residents often have more than one bicycle, especially one-bedroom plus den and two-bedroom units where there are often two people or more. A young couple living in a one-bedroom may have two bicycles, and even single residents may have two bicycles today – such as an everyday city bike and a fancier road bike.
• Even where bicycle storage lockers are provided, they are usually squeezed into “left over” spaces in the underground garage, which is not always convenient to access – especially if your garage has many underground levels. Residents therefore often find it easier to store their bikes in their units.
• A growing number of people today have expensive racing or road bikes, which they may not want to lock up in an open, shared storage area. These bikes cost thousands of dollars, making them especially vulnerable and attractive to thieves.

So, what can condominium corporations do?

Some ideas to consider:

• Scour your common areas to find places where more bike racks can be installed and rent them out for a nominal fee.
• Create a small and highly secured bike storage room with Medeco locks and maybe even camera surveillance for high-value bicycles, and rent them out for a higher fee.
• In your declaration documents, remove the clause prohibiting bicycles in units and common areas, and then install a hose or washing area so cyclists can wash off excess dirt before entering the building. This would also be useful for pets’ feet and stroller wheels – other increasingly common things in today’s family condos.

Remember, condo boards have an obligation to uphold and enforce all the rules and policies of the corporation, as set out in the declaration, by-laws, rules and the Condominium Act. However, boards should recognize that the issue of residents having bikes is not likely to go away, so they can and should take creative, proactive measures to help find suitable long-term solutions.

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