Support for businesses - Cycling City York

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• Why cycle to work?
• Commuting by bike
  • Cycle training
  • Buying a tax free bike
  • Discounted loans for bike purchases
  • Setting up a BUG
  • Workplace events
    • York Cycle Challenge
    • Workplace Cycle Challenges
    • Bike Week 2011
  • Support for businesses
    • Bike 2 Work
    • Cycling as part of a Travel Plan
    • Cycle parking at workplaces
    • Examples of best practice
  

Support for businesses

As an employer, it’s in your interests to be cycle-friendly. Not only will you be demonstrating social and corporate responsibility, you’ll also save money by providing cycle parking, rather than car parking. You’ll also have a healthier and happier workforce.

Getting more staff to cycle to work, or to use bikes for business related travel, can have real financial and environmental benefits for your business such as:

• A healther and more productive workforce
• Financial savings on car parking costs
• Better staff retention
• A significant reduction in carbon emissions

We are happy to invest our time and expertise to work with you to encourage cycling to your workplace, whether that's providing information and advice or helping you run workplace events or even set up a pool bike system. Please Contact us to arrange a visit or to speak to an advisor.

Our NEW Cycling to Work factsheets for employers are out now and include:

Factsheet No.3 Helping businesses to encourage cycling. What we can offer, and your commitment to us.

Other useful Cycling to Work factsheets include:

• Cycling to Work
• Why Cycle to Work? Benefits for your business, benefits for staff
• Cycling to work - examples of best practice
• Cycling as part of a travel plan
• Further sources of help and advice on cycling to work.

 

 

Bike 2 Work

 Our Bike 2 Work project in 2010 aimed to demonstrate that cycling is a healthier, cheaper, quicker, more environmentally friendly and stress-free way of travelling from home to work. The Cycling City York team visited workplaces in the city to run cycle maintenance workshops to equip employees with the skills and confidence to care for their bikes, and to be able to carry out simple repairs and maintenance.

Satff were offered advice on how to plan the best route to and from work, buying the best bike for their needs, as well as getting practical tips on cycling techniques and building cycle confidence. Free cycle route maps, high visibility ‘slap-wraps’, bike bells and information were also provided.

The Environment Agency actively promotes cycling to its employees and last year took advantage of one of our Bike 2 Work sessions at their site on Clifton Moor.

James Finigan from the Environment Agency said: "By promoting safe bike commuting within the city, we will cut the environmental impact of our journeys, reduce travel costs, improve our staff's safety and shorten journey times. We also hope to improve the overall health of our staff."

 

 

Cycling as part of a Travel Plan

As part of your organisation's plan to promote cycling, you may wish to consider developing a travel plan for your site, or refreshing an exisiting travel plan if you already have one. A travel plan looks at the way in which your staff, visitors, customers and suppliers travel to the site. An action plan can then be drawn up with the aim of increasing the use of more environmentally friendly modes of travel - such as walking, cycling, using the bus and train, and car sharing - and cutting car use to the site.

 

Cycle parking at workplaces

If you would like to improve the cycle parking facilities at your workplace, either by expanding them, improving security or providing weather protection, we can help. Please contact our Cycling Office for further advice and guidance on (01904) 551608 or Contact us

For locations of public cycle parking see Cycle parking ; for detail of secure valet-style cycle parking open to the public see Cycle Hub Station

 

 

Examples of best practice

Many of York's leading employers are already working with us to increase cycling at their workplace. These organisations are seeing real staff and business benefits as a result, and many more businesses are being inspired to follow suit.

Here are just a few examples of the kind of cycling initiatives businesses have run. For more information please download our NEW Cycling to Work factsheet for employers - 'Cycling to Work examples of best practice', available soon.

Nestle 

Nestle continues to be a leading cycle-friendly employer in the city. As well as being one of the first major employers to sign up for our Cycle 50% Challenge in 2009 and the York Cycle Challenge in 2011 Nestle encourages workers to cycle to work as part of its wellbeing programme, recognising the many health and business benefits to be had from high levels of staff commuting to work by bike.  

Olympic cyclist Victoria Pendleton came to York to show her support for Nestlé's Cycle to Work day and encouraged workers to take up cycling to improve their health. As well as receiving information about the benefits of cycling, employees were offered free security tagging for their bike by the police and free repairs at a drop-in bike clinic provided by Haxby Cycles. Employees also got the chance to pit their fitness against Victoria in an exercise bike time trial over 200 metres.

Portakabin

Portakabin continues to be a leading cycle-friendly employer in the city. Last year saw the company, part of the Shepherd Group, win the Sustainable Transport Award 2010 at The Press Business Awards in York.

Portakabin regularly participates in our cycling challenges and runs workplace-based cycling events of their own, including Bike Week Bikers' Breakfasts for staff and similar initiatives.

University of York

The University of York regularly participates in cycling initiatives and workplace events, including our Cycle 50% Challenge (seen here) and the York Cycle Challenge, as well as running frequent cycling events of their own on campus. Monthly bike maintenance sessions have proven to be very popular with staff and students alike and the University also sells heavily discounted bike accessories to staff to encourage cycling.