SEATTLE -- David Bowes moved off the land and onto the water last year for a more peaceful lifestyle.
He lives aboard his 38-foot yacht on Lake Union at the marina owned by Commercial Marine.
Like his neighbors, Bowes bikes everywhere.
For the last decade, all the boat owners at Commercial Marine had been storing their bikes on a small floating dock near their boats and steps away from Westlake Avenue.
Last fall, an anonymous tipster complained to the city's shoreline enforcement team, which ordered the marina to get rid of the bikes.
"They nabbed us," said marina owner Sue Dills. "They caught us."
Floating docks are not allowed to be used for non-maritime purposes, which includes bike storage, according to city code, enforced by the department of construction and inspections.
"The shoreline rules are meant to protect wildlife habitat and preserve use of the shoreline for uses or activities which rely on the water to function," wrote city spokesman Bryan Stevens in an email.
Dills called the enforcement "unintended consequences," but says the bike owners are trying to find other storage options before the deadline of March 31.
