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Pull down bike ramp on egress stair?

E

ebe

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Joined
Jul 25, 2018
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4
Location
Alexandria, Virginia
We have an existing building with a basement level & first floor levels under 50 occupants each and a short stair run (10 risers) from the basement up to the first floor level of egress. The owner, after being told that they can't keep bikes in the first floor egress passageway, has decided to provide bike parking in one of the basement storage rooms. The basement level is mainly storage rooms, server rooms, etc. and no offices are on this level. The owner has also requested a bike ramp on the stair. We were thinking of providing a 16" wide aluminum ramp that would be installed with spring hinges so that it would always be in the 'up' position on the wall because it is an egress stair. When someone is taking their bike downstairs they would pull the ramp down, ride their bike down the ramp and then it would spring back up into the standard position (wall stops would be provided to protect the wall and soften the return). Our door hardware specifier suggested posting this idea here to see if you thought it would be approved by our AHJ. Any thoughts? Thank you for your time and feedback.
 
Bikes do not take much room

Put them in each owners apartment .

It is actually a commercial use, television & radio studio, housed in a historic building.
Thanks for your feedback!
 
I'm an architect not an AHJ but I would be skeptical and worried about the spring loaded return failing or being defeated. One thing I have seen, but outdoors, is a narrow (a few inches) smooth runway adjacent to a stair so that a bike rider could walk the bike up or down without the bump-bump-bump of the stairs. That would require some coordination with the handrail and width of the stair.
 
I'm an architect not an AHJ but I would be skeptical and worried about the spring loaded return failing or being defeated. One thing I have seen, but outdoors, is a narrow (a few inches) smooth runway adjacent to a stair so that a bike rider could walk the bike up or down without the bump-bump-bump of the stairs. That would require some coordination with the handrail and width of the stair.
Yeah, I saw those when I Googled, bike ramp, after the owner asked about adding a ramp. The existing stair is 41" wide, very narrow, so I don't know if taking 3" on the side to make a ramp would work plus I think that the handrail would possibly interfere with the bike handlebars.
 
10 stairs. How about they just carry them up and down the steps? Can't weigh what 10 lbs, it would help with there upper body workout.
 
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ebe said:
Bikes do not take much room

Put them in each owners apartment .

It is actually a commercial use, television & radio studio, housed in a historic building.
Thanks for your feedback!
Click to expand...


Ok than they should have plenty of storage,

What is the average number of bikes there at any time ????
 
Is there workman’s compensation insurance available in Virginia? I read that the state of Virginia is trying to increase the population....even offering incentives. Your idea runs counter to the master plan.
 
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