How Businesses Can Eliminate Barriers to Bike Commuting - The League of American Bicyclists
From an employer’s standpoint, there are a lot of reasons you should want more employees to bike to work. Businesses that welcome and accommodate bike commuting attract more business, reduce the demand and expense of car parking, increase productivity and improve employee health, wellness, and morale.
While finding ways to bike to work has many benefits, not all people feel that bike commuting is an option for them. Over the years, we’ve heard a lot of reasons why people may choose not to bike to work – but we have plenty of counterpoints! We created our Overcoming Bike Commuting Concerns tips in hopes of busting a few bike commute myths and sharing ways to make biking to work feasible. As a current or aspiring Bicycle Friendly Business (BFB), you may be wondering what more you can do as a business to address these concerns. Read on for ideas from our Bicycle Friendly Business awardees.
OFFER UP BICYCLE AMENITIES
Having to balance between being dressed for success at work and your ride to work. Worrying about preserving personal hygiene when commuting to an office without access to shower facilities. Not having a safe and secure place to park your bike when you get there. These are all bike commuting concerns that can make biking to work a no-go for some. Try to counter these concerns by offering amenities and facilities such as a changing room, lockers or storage cubbies, showers, and ample bike parking.
In Mills River, North Carolina, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co, which renewed its Silver-level BFB designation in our Spring 2022 round of awards, offers a total of eight showers, employee-only locker rooms and 60 designated employee bike racks. In addition, there are two ADA showers available to employees and an additional unisex locker room available for people of all gender identities. All bike racks and maintenance stations are also located in highly visible, secure areas of the facility for everyone to use safely at any time during the day or evening.
If adding washroom facilities at your location isn’t feasible, offer membership to a nearby gym or health club. The Tampa Downtown Partnership (TDP), a Platinum-level BFB in Tampa, Florida, has a membership sharing program with the YMCA which allows free membership to all of its employees. There are two YMCA facilities in downtown Tampa (both BFB certified) at which TDP employees may shower, change and use the lockers when they bike to work.
