Bike Shifting in Gottigere

The Gottigere packers page is about the sofa: the biggest item in the house, and the one most likely to get stuck because nobody measured it. A bike gets stuck too, but not in a doorway. It gets stuck in the parking.

Gottigere's newer apartment blocks along Bannerghatta Road were built with fewer parking spaces than residents now need. Cars park nose to tail. Scooters fill every gap. Visitors' cars block the ends of rows. By morning, a bike that went in easily the evening before can be surrounded: a car in front, another behind, scooters on both sides.

On moving day, the crew arrive, the carrier waits outside, and the bike can't be reached without moving four other vehicles whose owners are asleep, at work or out of town. Lifting a bike over cars isn't an option. So everyone waits.

The fix takes ten minutes the night before.

Look at the parking that evening. Walk down at around nine and see what's around your bike, and who is likely to park there overnight.

Ask your neighbours. Knock on the doors of the car owners nearest your bike, or post in the building's group chat. Say the bike is being collected at eight, and ask whether they could leave a gap, or move their car out first thing.

Or park it near the exit. If there's a free spot near the ramp or the gate, wheel the bike over the evening before, so it's clear in the morning regardless of who parks where.

Think about the bike's cover and lock, too. A bike chained to a pillar, or covered and tied down tightly, takes longer to free. Take off the chain and loosen the cover the night before, but keep the steering lock on until the crew arrive.

Tell the security staff. They often know whose car is whose, and can call owners or hold a gap open overnight.

Be clear about the time. Saying "tomorrow morning" to a neighbour leaves room for misunderstanding. Say "the carrier comes at eight, could your car be out by quarter to?" and everyone knows exactly what's needed.

Get phone numbers. If a neighbour agrees to move their car in the morning, take their number, in case they oversleep.

Mind visitors' cars. Guests who arrive late in the evening often park wherever there's space, including across rows of bikes. Ask security to keep visitors away from your row that night.

Check the ramp. In a basement, the path up the ramp must be clear too. A car parked across the bottom of the ramp blocks everything.

Gottigere collections are handled by our crew, who'll wait a little if needed but plan around a clear path. After a short survey you hold one written figure, and from the moment the bike rolls out, it's ours to answer for.

Our Gottigere packers page covers sofas and what won't fit. This page is about the bike that can't get out of its parking.

Think about timing, too. Eight in the morning is when many residents leave for work, so cars move anyway. A collection just after the first wave of departures often finds the parking at its emptiest. Late morning on a weekday can be even better, with most cars gone and the ramp clear.

Weekends are the opposite. On a Sunday morning, every car is home and every row is full. Avoid weekend collections in a crowded block if you can.

At the new building, check the parking too. Find out where your bike will stand, whether it's allotted or first come, and whether it might be boxed in the same way. Tell the delivery crew the bay number.

And be a good neighbour in return. If someone else in the building is moving, offer to shift your car or scooter for them. A busy block works when everyone gives way now and then.

An electric scooter parked by a charging socket in a crowded basement may be wedged between cars overnight. Move it clear the evening before, and unplug and pack the charger. Name the EV when you book.