We've got a successful BUG at our work who discuss how facilities can be improved with the building managers. It's just run via SharePoint. Once a year we have bike shops, CTC, police marking etc as a roadshow and offer to give folk a tour of the facilities.
I'm buddying up with a guy who lives near me to show him a safe cycle route to work.
My company pay people £2 a day for cycling/walking/car share/getting the bus. Done mainly to clear up demand for parking spaces.
One of the things that encouraged cycling temporarily was a mileage competition as part of bike week (but mileage for entire month counted). We had a big competition with our neighbouring office, but a load of companies in the town also took part. We won for businesses our size, helped by a massive training block I was doing, the MD becoming obsessed with cycling and another workmate putting in a huge chunk.
Knowing that another reason to get people cycling or running into either site is because there is a massive parking problem at both sites, I am all for people to be charged for driving into work and using parking facilities. Even just £2 per day would see another 100 people getting on their bikes out of principle (and 2000 moaning about the unfairness of it and how could they possibly cycle as they have a 15 mile commute).
Plus all cyclists/runners/walkers given free hi viz tops with "OEM name" on the back so the drivers who work there give lots of room (this idea was floated years ago but not implemented).
I still think the sad truth is that those who want to do it will do it, and those who can't be bothered will never do it.
cut car parking for people less than 5 miles from work - made big change at our place
[i]cut car parking for people less than 5 miles from work - made big change at our place [/i]
All that happens then is that local streets are cluttered with your colleagues' cars.
Also encourages folk to live 6 miles away 🙂
Bike breakfast?
Lay on bacon rolls, danish pastries and coffee for those cycling in on a given day. First Friday of the month, something like that.
Make it a tasty treat for those that do ride and tempting enough for those that don't to consider jumping on their bike next month.
I suggested this at my work but it was scaled back to microwave porridge and fruit juice to keep it healthy 🙄
They were surprised at the lack of uptake for some reason.
Sticker charts
None of the plan will work for most people ... half bake ideas.
To encourage others to cycle to work do all these:
1. Give them 4 days work week.
2. Pay them £3 per day (or think of some £££) every time they cycle to work on top of their salary.
3. The one that maintain consistency throughout the year in cycling to work get a free family holiday for a week for four to ... Scotland ... you think of a place.
4. Contribute % towards their life insurance (if they have one) in the event that they get run over by 10 tonnes lorry etc ...
5. Give them a bike or lease them one.
6. If they can do all the above and still contribute to your company increase their salary ...
Be real ... forget about that Kelly celebrity stuff ... real people do not run on track to earn a living.
🙄
On the sponsoring thing. The only Jag parked along the road in the richest part of Pau is the one driven by a team Sky member. A Jag reduced to the status of a billboard for a bouquet télé watched by the under classes (people with enough money to buy a Jag in France have fibre optic cable TV). I really think Jaguar need to think hard about what they sponsor.
Quality traffic free routes is the only way. Without that the only people who will cycle are people who enjoy extreme sports or who have absolutely no choice..and that's only going to be a small number.
Traffic is the problem....showers at work, free breakfasts and vouchers off cycling stuff are all pointless pap.
Start by looking at how easy it is to actually access your site by bike in a traffic free way, then start looking at where your colleagues actually live and drawing straight lines between those dormitory areas and your sight....are there traffic free corridors along those lines...if there are then are they perceived as safe..ie absence of broken glass and graffiti, lit, overlooked by houses, no underpasses where muggers lurk. Is the perceived safety levels the same cycling that way in the dark at 4pm in winter the same as at 9am in the summer. If these routes exist publicise them...if they don't you are stuffed until someone builds them...and remember one awkward crossing across a major road will stuff it.
Talk to sustrans officers..they would love to work with you lot.
I used to work for Scott Wilson (now URS) any they paid people who cycled into work 75% of the time an extra £200 a year. Not policed in any way, just based on trust. I'm trying to encourage something similar at Arup. We already have a huge bike shed, lockers, and four showers for an office of 100 or so, and a great commute to the outskirts of Edinburgh.
For me it would have to be something like a breakfast voucher for the canteen. 50p off anything (i.e. fruit or yogurt) or save them up and get a hot breakfast. Four vouchers would be enough to get a hot breakfast, incentive to cycle all week but allows for horrible weather.
Bonus with the vouchers is it will encourage people to get in a little earlier than they need to, giving them a chance to cool off etc.
I work for a local authority and have been looking at the same issue. Try looking at why people dont cycle to work and the issue will boil down to a fear of cycling in traffic. We have the CTC on board who are offering on-road training for those who havent cycled in a while, a cycle route planner which highlights quiet routes, and a bicycle user group that offers a buddying service. For it to be a success the change has to be supported by ongoing events, I am thinking about evening rides after work for socialising, not far, not fast.
On the sponsoring thing. The only Jag parked along the road in the richest part of Pau is the one driven by a team Sky member. A Jag reduced to the status of a billboard for a bouquet télé watched by the under classes (people with enough money to buy a Jag in France have fibre optic cable TV). I really think Jaguar need to think hard about what they sponsor.
So your point is rich people in France don't have Sky TV nor drive Jags. Where as in the UK people who have Sky would drive a Jag.
Sounds like they got the marketing/sponsorship spot on to me.
I'm amazed people can get their companies to pay people for cycling in. Well done, you must have some very forward thinking leaders there.
Even at our place which I consider to have excellent facilities, a request to turn on the heating in the changing rooms during winter (to allow clothes drying) was met with "We're not running a sports centre here".
We (the site cycling group) also found, that having useful information packs on routes, bike shops, facilities and phone numbers/email addresses of on site cyclists who could help with maintenance made a big difference. We got some very positive feedback on these packs and it definitely encouraged more women to cycle in.
long as its petrol eh edukator.
just arrived at work today - no effing bike space and notes left in my normal overspill area pointing at the bike rack.
bike locked to the post holding the note - and photographs taken. email to facilitys and lets get something done.
coupled with the photos of last nights mega traffic 😉
My point was that I don't think Brad and Co are the right people to build an image for Jaguar that would help them sell cars. Do you know anyone interested in cycling that also owns a Jag? I don't. A number of the guys in my MTB club are also into cars. Lotus, Porsche and Peugeot got their money. On the Jaguar F-type thread it didn't take long for someone to say they'd rather have a Boxter - it's the sporting driver's choice.
I assume Jaguar is trying to sell cars in other countries too. Cycle racing is not held in high regard in many places and Sky in particular is just seen by many as the current equivalent of Team Telecom/Festina/US postal. "There is no such thing as bad publicity" you'll say. Well selling "quality" cars isn't about publicity, it's about image building. Jaguar seemed to be doing well and leaving behind its spiv/criminal/poser/nouveaux riche tags. Then it sponsors... .
Edukator - Member
My point was that....blah blah blah
Give it a rest, you are starting to ruin an otherwise interesting thread.
For you maybe, WackoAK. My inteded audience is the OP. His objective is to get people on bikes. I think the negative aura that surrounds professional cycling is more likely to put people off riding bikes.
If you want people to commute on bikes then show them happy, healthy, normal people wearing normal clothes. Show them riding bikes on cycle paths or cycle lanes with no helmet on their heads. Show them they aren't risking their neck and a soaking every time they get on a bike. In the UK this may be problematic.
How about moving the Gaydon plant to Holland or Germany, OP?
"A number of the guys in my MTB club are also into cars. Lotus, Porsche and Peugeot got their money. On the Jaguar F-type thread it didn't take long for someone to say they'd rather have a Boxter - it's the sporting driver's choice."
your point is surely your friends into cars have no taste ? - a peugeot.... really - thats your arguement.(peugeot driver here - not through choice but due to them being practical)
i must say the XF sportbrake that passes me on deeside every day - mmmmmmmmm
The Peugeot is his rally car.
I drive a Jag and MTB - plus have Sky. 🙂
I reckon its a great way for Jaguar, especially at last years' tour when Sky ran the Sportsbrake. Perfect exposure - just wish I could afford a new one.
Back to the OP.
I contracted at GSK in London a couple of years ago, they ran the type of scheme you are looking at promoting - including having an Evans shop inside their offices. Maybe give them a call?
A simple search found this:
http://responsibilitydeal2.dh.gov.uk/render.php?r=495
doesnt make it any better. would still rather any of the jag range than a rally car.... after all i doubt jaguars target market takes their jag rallying.
br, I am gobsmacked. At this point I will mutter "there's no accounting for taste" under my breath and retire form the thread.
You don't ride a ti mountain bike do you by any chance? 😉
My work will not give us c2w
Too many accidents in recent years including broken back which means our world safety officer deems cycling too dangerous and does not want to be seen to encourage it 🙄
He is a runner, orienteerer .
As others have said the issue to resolve is not giving incentives to ride to work but find out what reservations people have.
I only cycle on my days shifts. After a 12hr night shift I am generally too tired
I have workmates who live within a mile of work but won't even consider biking or walking
Another cycles because he has no car, he also has a drink problem 😳
http://www.gosmartdumfries.co.uk/
Not sure about the success of this scheme
http://www.dumgal.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=12154
In the UK, a lot of new road cyclists are the target market for Jaguar. They aren't after the mass market, they are appealing to people who will spend £5K on a push-bike and hundreds on Rapha clothing without any background or history with the sport. Look at another key sponsor for Sky - IG Markets. I don't think they really appeal to the average Frenchman either.
Throw your Cervelo in the back of the new Sportbrake? Fits the image perfectly.
Also, a lot of sports sponsorship is about the corporate hospitality rather than the exposure. IG Markets/Jag can entertain their key customers as part of the deal - that's often the key driver behind the sponsorship. Gazprom sponsoring the Champions League? Nothing to do with people buying more of it from seeing adverts, all to do with corporate entertainment.
(I'm not sure what this has to do with the original post though, apologies to the OP for continuing a discussion that has nothing to do with your original question! I can't see how Jag sponsoring Sky is putting people off cycling to work - do people really think that at your place of work? That cycling is just for skinny pros?)
I did muffin friday. I just ate too many muffins and gave too many away. I should be in marketing me 🙂
I'd say getting the boss and senior management doing it would be high on the list. Cycling is seen as poor man's transport and cars as a status symbol
edukator has made a good point though, cycling needs to be seen to be safe, and statistically normal, otherwise the majority wont want to do it.
at the moment, many people perceive the danger level to be high, therefore they wont change.
tackling mobile phone usage by drivers would be a start imo.
have a look at www.transportdirect.info for journey planners. We found it useful. Sometimes it throws up what you think are unusual routes, but closer scrutiny shows them to be sensible. Our Travel Plan Officer got home postcodes for all staff off HR, put them in the journey planner then emailed the options to staff. First hurdle over, quiet routes found.
[i]br, I am gobsmacked. At this point I will mutter "there's no accounting for taste" under my breath and retire form the thread.
You don't ride a ti mountain bike do you by any chance?
[/i]
Yep, 456Ti 🙂
As for danger, at a previous company HR tried to 'ban' senior Managers commuting on motorcycles, luckily the Head Lawyer was a two-wheeler.
"Cycling is seen as poor man's transport and cars as a status symbol "
This
when i first started it was assumed i hadnt a license
then it was assumed i was banned - i still get that when i arrive at clients offices.
folks simply dont believe its the quickest way round town at the times i travel .... the fact i do 15miles each way to town also makes me out to be the wierdo.....but it did make folks feel lazy using their cars for sub 5 mile journeys and they have started doing it.
taking time to explain your motive sometimes motivates folks enough- the other one was cycling past everyone on a daily basis sat in their car stuck in traffic and showing them i could travel my 15 miles in the hour it took them to get to the edge of the industrial estate.....
"As for danger, at a previous company HR tried to 'ban' senior Managers commuting on motorcycles, luckily the Head Lawyer was a two-wheeler."
absolute lol .... i would actually find a new job if they tried that.
Just a thing which stops my gf riding to work, not sure it would be applicable in an automotive.
basically the smarter your work dress code the more of a pita riding in becomes, esp for women (hairdryers, makeup, etc)
if you adjust the dress code in a place like that you could lower barriers
@trail rat
i think many people just dont believe/cant imagine that cycling can often be quicker than a car.
i can do my 1.8 mile commute just as quick as a car, without hurrying at all (singlespeed, max speed 12mph ish) and i have had more than a dozen coworkers tell me, "i saw you at (insert street name here) and you've arrived at the same time as me" and their tone of voice is always the same, they are amazed.
not at my cycling prowess i may add.
then it was assumed i was banned - i still get that when i arrive at clients offices.
What industry if you don't mind me asking?
In IT, the changing rooms are full of keen cyclists, judging by occasinal conversations and the gear that's hanging up (and the state of it - expensive gear well used).
That seems to be recognised, I think we're thought of as fitness freaks rather than poor...
if you adjust the dress code in a place like that you could lower barriers
Good point, this would also raise morale significantly 🙂
On the subject of road safety, one woman I spoke to at a government office said that it was too dangerous to cycle down the dual carriageway to work. She was unaware, despite having been born and bred in Cardiff, that there was a shorter back route on quiet roads from where she lived to work.
We had a “Commuter of the Month” chart. Everyone submits their mileage for a typical commute and gets a tick every time they cycle in. Tot it all up at the end of the month and the person with the most miles gets a really rubbish prize. In our case it was a bag of Monster Munch. This kept people interested and didn’t put any noses out of joint as the same guy always used to win because he lived furthest away.
Keep a running group total and update the senior management every now and again. My MD wasn’t that interested until we told him that 6 of us had saved 3000 car miles in 6 months, then all of a sudden we started to appear on corporate presentations. Imagine what the numbers would be like for a bigger outfit!
oil. dont get me wrong - we have our share of fitness freaks how ever most of them are golfing fanatics and you simply cant arrive at the golf course on a bicycle - doesnt look good outside the club house.
facilities
explain how much money they could save on fuel each day while getting fitter for the summer.
monthly raffle, every journey gets a ticket. make the prize that every one (not just the cyclists) want. like an extra day off/ meal out etc.
One word. Infrastructure.
Look at Netherlands. put that in place and you will see people in suits peddling to work with a brief case on the rear rack.
Put the infrastructure in place and it will happen. No need to get sweaty, I think I was the only silly bugger I ever saw going hell for leather.
My generation tend to have old bikes that are little used, early cheap MTBs mostly. They've probably never tried a lighter modern bike. Could you offer a freebie loan of a decent entry-level hybrid or road bike for a week, then hire for the rest of the month, for such folk? That way they could give it a go without too much up front. You'd have to get a shop involved and sort the fitting and trial through them.
And copenhagen cycle chic posters?
[i]"Cycling is seen as poor man's transport and cars as a status symbol "[/i]
I did some work in India, and one night out with some senior Managers of a supplier they were amazed I used a motorcycle for commuting. One even asked (apologised for asking too) "can't you afford a car?".
And then when I said it was because I could cover the 45 miles in an hour, they were amazed - as traffic (and the roads) there are dreadful.
Most of the stuff has already been suggested, but the gist of getting people to do something like this is to make it easy for them to at least try it a few times. The showers, changing rooms, borrow bike etc. all help to remove barriers to participation. Once you get a decent amount of people riding, running or walking to work then others will see that it's actually a sensible method of commuting and will be willing to give it a go. You just need to convince enough of the 'maybes' into giving it a go.
If you're looking to promote the concept then I'd concentrate on a couple of different angles:
Speed and efficiency. In a lot of cases it'll take no longer than travelling by car or public transport.
Cost. You'll have more in your pocket at the end of the month.
Health. You'll feel fitter and more alert, and likely maintain active good health for longer into your life.
Time saving. What use is your commute by car? No need to go to the gym if you're getting your exercise on the way to work.
I wouldn't try and tie in with team sky. The image of the professional cyclist is so far removed from the cycle commuter that it is likely to be detrimental to the effort. People that need to be convinced to cycle to work are not cycling fans they need to feel that what they are about to do is normal, the Copenhagen cycle commuter image is much more useful than that of a pro cyclist.
if, for whatever reason, i haven't ridden to work for a few days, i find it's tricky to get started again.
not *that* tricky obviously, but the logistics need thinking about.
for me to cycle to work, i need:
1) change of work clothes at work
2) a towel at work
3) my bike lock at work
(yes, i could probably carry all that crap with me on my bike, but it's such a faff i don't bother)
cycling to work on tuesday is a task that begins on monday morning - remembering to take all the stuff i need with me when i drive.
so, on Monday, remind everyone that tuesday is 'bring your stuff to work' day.
on Tuesday remind them that Wednesday is 'bike to work day'.
maybe we should do this nationally? - start a facebook group or something?
