Encouraging staff, visitors, clients, and customers to cycle to your premises is a great way of not only promoting good health/exercise habits but also becoming a more environmentally sustainable business.
There are a few really simple ways of making your business more bike-friendly which, if deployed correctly, can provide a cost-effective way of getting people to cycle to and from your site.
Bike Racks
Bike racks provide a safe, reliable, and secure place for people to lock up their bikes.
If there is nowhere for them to do so, then people will either fall back on driving or take their business elsewhere.
There are a few things to consider when you are installing cycle racks:
Location
The parking needs to be close enough to entry and exit doors that it does not require a lot of walking or other efforts to get from the bike to the premises.
It’s also important to put the cycle racks in an area that can easily be spotted from your building – cyclists will feel more confident if they can glance out of the window and see that their equipment is still securely locked up.
Lighting
Particularly if your business operates during the evening/night, you need to make sure that the cycle racks are well lit, as is the route between the building and the racks.
This will reduce the likelihood of staff or customers being the victim of a crime and will make them feel much more comfortable in navigating your site.
Size
Make sure there is enough room for everyone who cycles to lock up their bike, otherwise you might be left with bikes attached to every lamppost or bollard in your car park.
Showers
If you are able, it is a really nice touch to provide shower facilities on site for staff.
Cycling a few miles to work in the morning can generate quite a bit of sweat – having a way to get clean and change clothes is a great incentive for a lot of people who would like to cycle but don’t want to be uncomfortable/unprofessional throughout their shifts.
Incentivise
There are a few different ways that you can incentivise cycling – from signing up to government cycle to work schemes and giving discounts on bikes and equipment, through to offering bonuses or late start/early finishes.
Cyclists tend to have fewer days off through illness as they are living a healthier lifestyle that boosts a positive mental outlook – small incentives like these can go a long way and provide an almost immediate return on investment.
Emergency help
In the event that a cyclist has an equipment issue, they will typically be left stranded with a long walk ahead of them.
You can mitigate this concern by offering guaranteed lifts/paid taxis in the event that bicycle equipment is unusable – punctures, brake failures, etc.
You Never Forget How To Ride A Bike…
While that adage may or may not be true, the fact is that, for most of us, it has been a great many years since we were taught how to cycle safely on roads and in traffic.
Providing refresher courses can not only help encourage cycling but also make it safer for your staff and other road users.
