Cycling to Work and the Benefit of Having a Healthier Workforce

There are a myriad of benefits to having and promoting a strong and healthy workforce, including significantly improving productivity and morale, combating illness and increasing safety as employees are more alert.  Cycling is an increasingly popular sport among workforces in the UK and a way to keep fit and healthy.  Over 40% of the population own or have access to a bike and sales increase year upon year.  The rising cost of fuel, increases in cyclist safety through the adding of cycle lanes to urban roads and obvious health and environmental benefits have made cycling more than just a leisure activity – more and more people are finding it an attractive alternative to driving.  The government’s ‘Cycle to Work’ scheme has been hugely successful, with both employers and employees eager to reap the health and economic benefits.

All this has made it necessary for business and facilities to provide safe and secure parking areas for bikes, such as shelters, racks and bike bins to protect their own, their customers’ and their employees’ investments.

Tips on Providing Cycle Parking on Company Premises

• Make it visible and accessible (well signed and within around 20-30 metres of the entrance to a premises). This will encourage use and advertise that customers, employees and the public can travel to your facility by bike
• Provide places for people to securely lock their bikes and make sure there are enough of them for the estimated daily usage
• If using stands (the most popular option) space them 1 metre apart to maximise access and capacity
• Ensure the area is well lit (additional security lighting or CCTV may be required to provide piece of mind to users, especially in urban areas)
• Make it attractive and fit in with the surrounding environment as this will make a statement about your commitment
• Make sure that it is not an obstruction to people or traffic routes
• Provide a shelter (this is especially recommended if it is to be used for long-stay parking by staff)
• If it is to be used for short stay parking (e.g. in a shopping centre) put small groups of stands at regular intervals instead of less frequent larger groupings of stands.