Why cycling?

Birmingham is grinding to a halt - strangled by a mounting transportation crisis.  Most people travel five miles or less to work, yet many come by car.  At a time when there is serious concern about congestion and pollution and when even the Government has admitted that new roads in urban areas only exacerbate the problems, alternatives must be found - and quickly.

Of course, cycling's not for everyone. Many are either too scared or too content reading a paper on the bus or train to contemplate taking on the traffic 'head-to-head'.  Yet with a bit of encouragement and advice, it's a fair bet that some of your employees would switch to a bike and change their whole way of life in the process.

If that sounds like so much 'pie in the sky', remember:

• 26,000 people in the West Midlands get on their bikes every day
• In continental cities like Delft and Munster, between 40 and 50 per cent of all journeys are made by bike.  In Oxford and York it's about 20 per cent. Compare that with Birmingham's measly 2 per cent.
• Seven in ten of all personal journeys - and six in ten car trips - are under five miles long.

In a recent 'Commuter Challenge', a cyclist took 16 minutes to cover the 4 miles from Kings Norton to the City, compared with 38 minutes for the car driver and 42 minutes for the bus passenger.

The benefits for employers.

A healthier, more productive workforce.

• According to doctors only one in ten Britons take enough exercise.
• Cycling benefits the heart and lungs, lowers blood pressure, and helps in weight control.
• Cyclists are more alert, less prone to stress and take fewer days off sick.
• Freed from timetables and traffic jams, people arrive on time.

Lower direct costs.

Cheaper business travel.
Many short trips on company business could easily be made by bike.  Think of the savings in taxi and bus fares, and car travel payments, in return for payment of a reasonable cycle mileage allowance.

Cheaper parking.
Parking for 10 bikes can be provided for the cost of a single car park space.  And think of the money saved from the need to supply a subsidised car parking space.

Lower company car bills.
Providing a company bike and a cash alternative will encourage more employees to forgo a company car, cutting the cost of the scheme.

A 'greener' corporate image.
In these competitive times, forward thinking companies are keen to promote a 'green' image as a means to tapping into the potential market of the environmentally aware consumer.  A pro-cycling policy will not only enhance your green credentials with customers and potential employees.

The benefits for employees.

Lower travel costs.
No more season tickets, bus passes, petrol bills and parking fees.  A bike costs only a fraction as much to run as a car, and pays for itself in a few months.

Better health.
A 35 year-old man cycling 12 miles a day extends his life expectancy by two-and-a-half years compared with someone who takes no exercise, says the British Medical Association.  Throw out the multi-gym! Cycling combines getting to work with exercise.  Long distance commuters can combine cycling with a train journey, or drive to the outskirts of the city and cycle the rest of the way, avoiding the worst of the traffic.

More fun.
For many riding through a park or on a cycle track opens up a whole lost world of peace, fresh air and sheer pleasure of being that much closer to nature for a part of the journey.

Three steps to a cycle-friendly workplace.

The main barriers stopping most people from getting on their bikes are:

• fear of traffic
• lack of adequate parking, changing, washing and storage facilities at work.
• over estimating the physical demands of cycling.

1.    Overcome obstacles.

Survey existing cycle usage.
Ask your staff about their attitudes to cycling - then set realistic targets for increasing the numbers who cycle.

Install cycle parking.
If you maintain a car park, convert some of the spaces for cycle parking. Put in Sheffield "inverted 'U'-style" cycle racks or a set of lockable cycle cages.  If no car park is provided, use other space within the company grounds or ask the city council to set up cycle cages nearby, and offer to cover part of the cost.

Provide changing and washing facilities.
Install showers in your washrooms if possible, and assign a locker to each cyclist for storage of cycling gear and clothing.

Make cycling safer.
Put beginners in touch with the regulars in the firm.  An experienced cycling commuter living near a novice may well agree to 'buddy' him or her on the trip for the first few days or weeks.

2.   Give financial and other incentives.

Company bikes.
Company cars are now a much less attractive 'perk' than they used to be.  Why not offer staff a company bike plus a cash sum instead?  Alternatively, buy in some bikes for use on company business, and offer an interest-free loan for a bike, just as you might for a season ticket.

Mileage allowances.
Reimburse your cyclists for using their bikes on company business.  The allowance should be on a pence-per-mile basis and ideally match the rate offered for using the smallest cc car - say 35 pence per mile.

Maintenance.
Ensure that cycling staff have access to priority maintenance and repair services, either 'in-house' or through the local bike shop.  These can be treated as tax-deductible expense.

3.   Promote cycling throughout the workplace.

• Publicise your cycling initiative through staff newspapers, pay packets and notice boards.
• Organise a 'bike to work' day and combine it with a 'cyclists' breakfast
• Set up a bicycle user group (BUG) to offer support, advice and encouragement to cyclists and organise social rides and events. 

Push Bikes is the Campaigning Group for all aspects of Cycling in Birmingham