Campus Bikes: Transportation Benefit or Burden?

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If you spend much time out and about, you know that bikes have made a comeback in Silicon Valley and throughout the Bay Area. While they’re popular on the streets, they are even more plentiful on office campuses, especially large ones with multiple buildings. People hop on bikes to travel to different buildings instead of driving their vehicles or taking lengthy strolls.

Campus bikes can be extremely beneficial to both employees and facilities managers, but they also bring some burdens along for the ride, as well. Fortunately, there’s a solution to the burdens so that employers and employees can enjoy the benefits without the drawbacks.

Learn about campus bike benefits and burdens. Then discover the simple solution.

Benefits of Bikes on Campus

Some of the biggest tech companies have embraced bicycles for employees due to the benefits. First and foremost, biking reduces transportation time, which increases productivity. Without bicycles, employees have two choices, and neither is ideal. One, they can get in their vehicles, drive to the building, and then try to find parking. What could have been a short five-minute bike ride turns into a 20- or 30-minute ordeal.

Second, they can ride public transportation to a stop that’s closer to the location. Then they have to take a brisk walk to their destination. Again, this is a huge time-waster, and it also costs money. That’s not ideal, either. Biking solves both problems by ensuring that people get to their destinations quickly without shelling out money for transportation.

Biking around campus also boosts creativity. Between the fresh air and the exercise, bikers enjoy a rush of endorphins that provide a nice creative boost. Biking can make meetings and brainstorming sessions much more productive.

Finally, biking is a sustainable form of transportation. Many Silicon Valley companies understand the importance of green living. Making employees burn fuel to travel around campus goes against that belief, so biking is a must.

Burdens of Bikes on Campus

Biking on campus can also create some pretty significant burdens. First, there is the traffic. Bikes, pedestrians, and vehicles often fight for a share of the roads. This can lead to lots of near misses and some serious accidents.

Bikers also experience other safety hazards. Graveled corners, potholes, cracks, and other issues are threats to bikers. If these hazards aren’t properly identified, bikers can wipe out on the way to important meetings.

Speaking of safety hazards, bike clutter is another issue that companies face. While companies love it when employees bike around campus, the higher-ups can’t help but feel a bit perturbed when they go outside and see bikes discarded throughout the campus. Employees tend to set bikes off to the side when they’re done, and as the hours pass, the number of discarded bikes piles up. This is a hazard for pedestrians and an eyesore.

Lost and stolen bikes are also an obstacle. Employers have important work to do, and that doesn’t involve acting as the bike police. They cannot spend their time hunting down lost bikes, and they also don’t want to shell out money to replace bikes that have gone missing.  

Bike availability is another concern for employers and employees. Biking only saves time and increases productivity if bikes are readily available. In the case of bike-sharing programs, employees might go outside to grab a bike, only to realize that there aren’t any available. Then employees have to go to plan B.

The Solution

Are you getting worried about all these burdens? Don’t give up on biking on campus quite yet because there is an easy solution.

All About Parking’s Bike Valet Solution removes all the burdens you face when biking on campus. We monitor and control traffic to ensure safety for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians. We identify and remove bikes from hazardous locations and prevent clutter by gathering discarded bikes and placing them in the proper location.

What about lost and stolen bikes? That problem can’t possibly be solved, can it? It can with All About Parking’s Bike Valet Solution. We track bikes and collect them as needed. Our tracking system means people can’t discreetly remove bikes from campus. Also, if they forget where they left their bikes, we can find them.

We even help with productivity by ensuring bikes are available on demand. If your employees need a bike, they’ll have access to one.

Request a Quote

Learn more about our valet bike solution by getting a free site inspection. All About Parking will inspect your site, provide a quote and when you’re ready, we’ll implement the solution.

By Cedric Jackson via UpWork 

A Day in the Life of a Valet Parking Attendant

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Valet Key

Have you ever wondered what happens to your car when you hand your keys to a valet parking attendant? Do they take your car for a joy ride?? What exactly does a valet do anyway? Well, let’s start with the basics…

Valet: A Short (Fun) History 

The term “valet” was first used in the late 1500’s and described a male servant, whose sole job was to pamper his master (for Downton Abbey fans, think of Mr. Bates and his loyal servitude to Lord Grantham). When valets first emerged hundreds of years ago, there were no cars, and “valet” was pronounced like “mallet.”  Our methods of transportation have changed significantly since then, and the traditional “valet” job has now evolved into “parking valet” or more commonly, the “valet parking attendant.” And the “t” in “valet” is now silent!

So, what does a typical day look like for a valet parking attendant in today’s world of too many cars and not enough parking spots?

Preparing for Customers’ Morning Rush to the Office

A valet’s typical morning starts with greeting fellow valets and preparing material/equipment needed for a day that’s soon to become a blend of cars, customers, and tight squeezes. Such items often include key hooks, ticket slips, traffic cones, flags, pens, iPads, and most importantly, secure shoelaces, as there will be lots of running!

Preparing for Event Parking

While valets at office campuses have the benefit of already knowing their site layout and equipment needed, event valet attendants – such as those working a wedding – have to learn their customer’s unique layout and specific parking requirements each time.  This means that when they show up to work an event, they review the event plan and locate additional equipment such as flashlights, jumper cables, trash bags, parking signs, and the all-important: valet-designated restroom they are authorized to use!

Ready, Set, Go!

Once all equipment is set, the valets double check that they are ready to properly receive their arriving customers during the anticipated rush period. Hair combed? Check. Shirt tucked in? Check. Shoelaces tied? Double check. Smile? Let’s Go!

Valet Attendants’ Secret to Success

A valet’s initiative and eagerness to please still reign above all other job responsibilities, much as was true for valets hundreds of years ago. Running to greet customers and opening their doors with a smile is the secret to success for any good valet attendant, as is running to retrieve the customers’ precious cars upon their return. Rush periods are so hectic with customers coming and going that the only chance a valet has to slow down and take a breath is while operating a vehicle!

Downtime

After the initial rush of customers (which varies by office or event situation), valets work together to recount cars, keys, and tickets to ensure all valuables are accounted for. Occasionally valets help customers who need to depart early from work or an event by moving blocked cars – sometimes up to three or four – to allow space for the customers to pass. No matter how jammed a parking lot may seem from the outside, trained valet attendants can always find ways to safely clear a path.

 Time for a Joy Ride?

Not ever! Reputable valet parking companies such as All About Parking enforce strict rules and monitor all valet attendants to ensure they move vehicles only to park, unblock or retrieve cars. That’s it!

Break Time

Valets are on their feet up to 8 hours a day sprinting and hustling for cars. It gets exceptionally exhausting, particularly in the hot sun!  And only after the parking lot is set in place and the initial rush is over do valets take a brief break to recharge, rehydrate, and reconvene to get ready for the most exciting rush of the day: customer pickups.

Customer Pickups  

Experienced office campus valet attendants shine during customer pickups by recognizing faces, vehicles, and keychains which allow them to provide peak service and a ready car before the customer even arrives at the main podium. These office parking valets form relationships with their customers based on a shared trust and service knowing that each has just put in a hard days’ work. While event valet attendants may not have the pleasure of knowing their customers as well as office campus valets, they do everything they can to ensure the customer leaves with a wonderful lasting impression of the event they just attended.

Whether it’s at an event or the office, pickups are rapid, and oftentimes cars and people disappear before valets even have a chance to say goodbye. But rest assured that though the valet service may be over, parking attendants know their job is only done after the sun has set (or the moon has risen), all keys and cars returned to their rightful owners, and the tired yet happy attendants get ready for their next parking adventure…

Parking Log

How to Assess Parking Challenges Across an Office Campus

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When looking at how to ease the parking problems at your office campus, you should first go out and time how long it takes an employee to find a parking spot during key congestion times.

For a typical office, key congestion times might be during the 8–9 a.m. rush hour and then again during the 12–1 p.m. lunch hour. Analyze how long it takes to walk from the available spaces to the building(s). Aside from reserved VIP spaces, are most of the available spaces quite a distance from the building? How far? Also note the flow of traffic in your lot or garage — does it get congested during the peak hours? How much time does that slow an employee (or visitor) down from getting to their destination?

Next, look at how many employees you have (and plan to have) and how many non-reserved spaces are available. Finally, talk to your employees about their parking frustrations; they’ll be able to give you personal insights that you otherwise might not be considering.

At All About Parking, when we do a site parking analysis, we often hear from businesses that their employees arrive 15–20 minutes early just to get a spot. Then they are afraid to leave for lunch (or meetings) because they don’t want to lose their coveted parking space. And then when they leave work for the day they’re stuck in a long queue of cars just trying to exit the parking lot! All this frustration can be avoided by deploying a valet service company to handle traffic flow and parking demand. At All About Parking, we’ve been working for years at the best-known companies in Silicon Valley to resolve parking problems. Let us know how we can help you come up with the best solution for your company!

4 key questions to ask a commercial valet company before hiring them

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How long has the valet parking company been in business? For obvious reasons, you’ll want to choose a company that has been in business for years. Understanding parking issues and solutions doesn’t happen overnight, so it’s important to choose a company that has seen what works, and what doesn’t, in a variety of office setups.

Who are their customers and what do they say about them? Reputation is paramount in the valet parking business. Find out who the valet parking company currently handles parking for, and ask to speak to their clients’ parking & transportation managers. Do these clients have similar parking challenges to yours? If so, find out how the valet parking company is addressing these issues. Find out how reliable they are, how well they know their client’s business, and how professional their attendants are.

Are they a national company or a local one? A big advantage of going with a local business is that they will be more nimble and quick to respond to your parking needs. Typically, a local business will deploy their senior management to assess and roll out a company-wide parking and valet plan. The large, national firms will often rely on a less-senior department head, who doesn’t have the same skin in the game as a local owner-operator does.

Ask about their valet training. A valet attendant will be the first — and last — person that your employees or guest see at the beginning and end of each workday. As such, it’s critical that the valet attendant best represents your business. Find out how the company trains their attendants and go check out how their valets operate at an office facility. Are they professional? Are they dressed appropriately for the job? Do they answer questions in a respectful, helpful manner? How do they handle your car? Do they foresee issues and offer solutions — such as reminding you that you left your phone in the car? How about that computer that’s in the back seat? After all, valet is about more than just parking cars; it’s about facilitating the best possible start (and finish) to an employee’s day.

Valet Parking Is not Just an Employee Perk

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When people ask me what All About Parking does, my quick, elevator answer is “Our primary service is providing valet parking for corporate campuses throughout Silicon Valley.” And the response I hear most is “Wow, what a great employee perk!”

They make a good point; valet service, free food and dry cleaning services are all common employee perks in Silicon Valley tech companies. And these services help to attract and retain the best employees in a very tight job market. But valet parking is much more than just a perk — it can actually help a company improve its bottom line. Here’s how:

  1. Improving employee productivity
    Think about how much time employees waste searching for spots in cramped parking lots when they come to work each day, let alone when they have to leave their coveted parking space to head out to a meeting. Our studies show employees waste 10 minutes per day on average searching for parking in a typical Silicon Valley tech campus. To get a sense of the damage this kind of situation can do, consider that a business with 100 employees needing parking each day in a given location adds up to 50 wasted minutes per employee, (or 83.3 wasted hours total) per week. That’s a significant amount of wasted time when those employees could be doing productive work. One of our clients recently calculated that before they came to us, they were losing $600,000 per year in lost employee productivity due to their campus parking nightmare!
  2. Improving guest experience
    If your employees are wasting 10 minutes each time they come to work, what about your guests who aren’t as familiar with the ins and out of your parking situation? Some of these guests are probably prospective clients you hope to do business with. Getting them to their meeting locations quickly and with minimal stress can only help you build productive relationships and get things started off on the right foot.
  3. Maximizing use of your existing real estate footprint
    We all know that many technology companies (and other businesses in Silicon Valley) deploy an open-office plan to foster collaboration. The challenge with this type of office set up is that you are fitting more employees per square foot than what the parking for the building allows. So right away you’ve got a parking problem! With a valet company such as All About Parking, you can continue to add employees to your existing real estate footprint, and let us take care of finding spots for all the additional cars. The result? You get more out of your existing office space without having to upgrade to something bigger.

Are you interested in calculating how much money you could save with an office valet solution? Contact us to see how we can help.