Garage Managers Flout Bike Parking Law, Fool DCA Inspectors

It’s been about two months since the Bicycle Access to Garages Law took effect, requiring parking facilities with more than 100 car parking spots to provide bike parking too. So far, it appears, a lot of those garages are violating the law and turning away potential customers who want to park their bikes. How easily can they get away with it? As this video from reader BicyclesOnly shows (warning: turn down the volume until you see people in the frame), refusing to comply with the law is a piece of cake, because the Department of Consumer Affairs hasn’t enforced the rules with any conviction.

Here we see a garage manager at Redball Parking, located at 919 Third Avenue, admit that he won’t accept bikes. He also cops to telling DCA inspectors a different story. “I said that we take bikes,” he admits, right before repeating that the garage doesn’t take bikes. Even though no sign was posted at this garage stipulating bike parking prices, as required by law, that excuse was enough to get DCA to lay off.

After the jump, see the official notice from DCA explaining that the agency found no violations at Redball Parking.

Note that the complaint was filed on November 19, more than a month before the Post reported that the city had received no complaints about garages flouting the new law. (The same story confirmed our suspicion that the 18.375 percent tax that garages are levying on bike parking is illegal.)

Last week, DCA responded to a follow-up from BicyclesOnly, saying they’ll send another inspector to Redball Parking. We have a request in with the agency for comment, and to find out if any adjustments to their enforcement strategy are in the works.