A new law that requires commercial office buildings in the city to provide safe storage space for workers' bicycles took effect Friday.

The Bicycle Access To Buildings Law was signed over the summer and requires commercial office buildings to provide safe storage space for workers to keep their bikes.

Tenants in these buildings can file a formal request for bike space through the owner.

"If they request of their building managers to be able to bring their bikes into their workspace and there's a freight elevator in the building, the building manager has 30 days to come up with a way to do that," said Wiley Norvell of Transportation Alternatives. "To specify the hours when [bikers] can use the freight elevator, the route they should use through the building so they don't interfere with other traffic coming in or out."

Owners wishing for an exception must file a request with the city. However, they must provide other safe parking spaces for cyclists.

The new law does not apply to residential buildings, commercial office buildings without a freight elevator, or other buildings not primarily composed of offices.

Some developers told NY1 they are already coming up with indoor parking areas for bicycles in all of their buildings.

"One, we think it's a real competitive advantage. Two, our tenants really want it. Three, we're deeply committed to the city's efforts and the mayor's efforts on sustainability and this promotes sustainability," said President Carl Weisbrod of Trinity Real Estate.

West Village property manager Peter St. John said workers' bicycles have been kept in his building's loading dock since 2006. He said he doesn't hire any extra staff to watch over the bikes, as tenants bring their own locks and the bike rack is monitored 24 hours a day on closed-circuit television.

"Worrying about their bike parked on the street all day is now going to be a thing of the past," said Norvell, who predicts that tens of thousands more people will start riding their bikes to work in the next few months.

For a guide to bicycle access to buildings and a list of consultants and architects who can help companies comply with the new law, visit www.transalt.org.