Should businesses allow bicycles inside?

It depends on the type of business.

If they want.

In a bike store or an auto parts store yes. In a china shop, no.

Of course they should! Listen, when I am bike touring, and I want to stop for a drink, should I be forced to park my bike, lock it up, remove my panniers, remove my front bag, and haul them all into the store, just for a drink?

A bike takes up a lot less space than one of those damned doublewide SUV strollers. Give us a break.

Their business, their rules. There shouldn’t be any catch-all legislation regulating this sort of thing, or whatever.

I think it depends on the space in the store and the likelihood of damage being caused. If it isn’t going to cause any problem, why not? I would rather say yes than have someone leave it outside and the thing is stolen. Some bikes are horrendously expensive and bike racks are not provided everywhere.

No. I suspect no one who works there had seen her yet. Bicycles take up too much space. it is up to their riders to have locks.

Ask the federal government. They seem to the ones who dictate what a business can and cannot do.

@marinelife

“Bicycles take up too much space.”

So are you going to ban gigantic strollers, then, which take up far more space?

I agree there shouldn’t be laws about this, it’s silly. But yes, bikes are expensive. And, if you use your bike instead of a car for errands, you have a lot of stuff on it that you cannot leave on the bike while you go into the store, or it will be stolen.

In this era where we are encouraging non-motorized transport, why penalize bicycles?

I smell a business opportunity in this question…

@Ltryptophan, maybe she works at the store and was taking it to the backroom to store it before she started her shift.

@bkcunningham I was eating lunch, she walked through, got something, checked out, and left.

@crisw – for a change I agree, I hate strollers, if one more mother bangs into the back of my heels with the damned things, I may not be responsible for my reaction! Course I feel the same way about the bicyclists who used the shared walking/biking footpaths as their own personal velodrome and see just how fast they can go! They at least ring their little bells, like tinkle, tinkle as they race up behind you. Then you better get the hell out of the way or they run you down! heheheh, that is my rant for the day!

@crisw Good point. We need to find ways to encourage bicycle use. But, the comparison to SUVs is meaningless… no one brings an SUV into the store.

@roundsquare The reference to SUV was as a descriptive for the overly large strollers and not automobiles. :)

@Pied_Pfeffer Note to self: read slower.

@roundsquare :)

No, bicycles should not be allowed in stores and malls and here is why…...........

Many bikers could not resist the urge to ride inside the store. This would be a liability issue for the store or mall. They do not want this.

Bicycle theft would increase, simply because bikers would abandon their bikes inside the store to check out a new video game or the like. Bikes lying around on the floor, would create another safety hazard, as well as blocking the aisles for handicapped people being in electric wheelchairs.

Bikes in stores and malls is not a good idea.

@john65pennington

“Many bikers could not resist the urge to ride inside the store. ”

These would probably be children. They should be supervised anyway. I can guarantee you that I won’t be riding around the store!

“Bicycle theft would increase, simply because bikers would abandon their bikes inside the store ”

If we want to bring our bikes in the store to avoid theft in the first place, why would we then abandon them inside the store? Again, sounds like you are talking more about children than responsible, bike-riding adults (we do exist!)

“as well as blocking the aisles for handicapped people ”

Again, back to my nemesis the giant stroller…it does a much better job of that.

“Bikes in stores and malls is not a good idea.”

It seems like you would punish the good, responsible, adult bike riders because of the behavior of children. I don’t think that’s fair.