You will have three camps in your workplace in terms of cycling to work – those who want to but the facilities aren’t there, those who maybe hadn’t considered it and those who would rather pull their toenails out than get on a bike.

You are probably on a lost cause with group 3, but for the first two groups there are some key things you need to do to get them cycling.

Provide the right cycle parking facilities

Bikes are not cheap things and can be very vulnerable to theft and damage, If you want people to use their bikes to work, they need to have somewhere safe and secure to leave their bikes.

You should think about where it is situated. Cyclists will be grateful if the cycle parking is situated close to the entrance. This is not just laziness and the desire to be as close as possible, but also because of security as the area is likely to be busy with the cycle parking area being overlooked by colleagues inside the building.

You need to make sure you are providing the right type of parking and the right amount. There are many cycle parking options. Our blog ‘What cycle parking options are there?’ gives an overview of the main types.

What you choose will depend on the number of cyclists, the areas you have available, types of cyclist and also your budget. Lockit Safe provide a free site survey and recommendations and can help you plan the best cycle parking options for your site and employees.

Consider other support facilities

The more barriers to cycling you can overcome, the more success you will have. Cycling is a physical activity and most employees who cycle to work would welcome the chance to have a shower.

Shower facilities don’t take a great deal for space and can often be converted from existing underused areas. They have the added benefit of being able to be used by members of staff who maybe use the gym or exercise in their lunch hour or after work.

Hand in hand with showers are things such as lockers, drying facilities, towels, hair dryers and even irons. Not things that cost a great deal, but items that show a commitment to cycling by the organisation.

Set up a BUG (Bicycle User Group)

Another way you can encourage continued cycling is to set up a BUG or Bicycle User Group. This can be set up with existing employees who are already cycling to work and are advocates of it. The BUG can keep in contact with people cycling to work and give then advice and support from practical issues such as puncture repair through to things such as bike registration schemes.

BUG’s can also operate a buddy scheme to help encourage those who may be a bit nervous about cycling to work in the first instance.

Incentives

We all respond to a little incentivisation, and as a company there are many options that can be used to incentives cycling to work. These could include things such as Cycle to Work schemes , assisted bike purchase schemes, negotiated discounts at local bike shops or even pool bikes for larger organisations.

Some companies run reward schemes based on the number of times an employee cycles to work that turn into vouchers to be spent on bikes and equipment at local suppliers.

Staff awareness

Make sure you publicise your cycle to work scheme to your staff so they understand what you are trying to achieve, how it will work and how they can participate. This can range from staff briefings, posters on notice boards or more in-depth coverage on the company intranet. You can also tie in with events such as National Bike Week