The lucky folks at Google are well-known for having some of the best perks in the working world. Nap pods and free food are part of the picture, but the most recognisable of the lot has to be the huge fleet of yellow bikes that employees use to get around the giant campus.
They’re not locked up or docked at any time because the entire point is that they be easily accessible, a perk that comes with a big tradeoff – they’re fucking everywhere.
Not just over the campus, either, people are hurling the bikes into a bloody creek. Executive director of a volunteer organisation that looks after the Stevens Creek, Aaron Grossman, came across a collection of dumped bikes while walking along the creek trail.
“I think someone has a mental issue, or a mental problem with Google or bicycles or both,” he told Motherboard. “Or maybe he doesn’t even like the creek.”
Either way, the image of someone physically throwing a bicycle is inexplicably funny, to me.
The behemoth tech company has around 1,000 bikes sprawled across their Mountain View headquarters in Silicon Valley, but they’re by no means confined to the campus, or even the creek. They’re trying really hard to make the tech capitol as bike-friendly as Copenhagen, but there’s clearly some community ire directed towards the concept.
Google do send a truck out to collect the bikes when reported, but they still seem to find their way into just about everywhere. When Grossman had the creek bikes collected, the very same ones were chucked back there a few days later.
Seen an abandoned Google Bike lately? Let them know (650.253.5353) or email (lostgbike@google.com).Plz include location for pick up. pic.twitter.com/gppd6AUkqT
— CityofMountainView (@mtnviewcityhall) July 18, 2017
A lot of folks in the greater Mountain View community are not bloody keen on them, either, seeing them more as trash than a mode of transport.
“Google bikes litter the streets of my neighbor [sic] each and every day. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for this. It is not up to Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Palo Alto or any city experiencing the influx of Google bikes to round them up and return them to Google,” wrote user RoxieK in the comments section of a Mountain View Voice article.
Who are you, mysterious Google bike-hater? What dark forces compel you to viciously and ferociously toss a number of bicycles into the local creek? Who hurt you?
Source: Motherboard.
Photo: Mark Noack.
