Equipment and Facilities
Cycle parking
A cycle friendly employer will provide good quality cycle parking with sufficient capacity for current usage plus some spare capacity to accommodate new cyclists. And don’t forget your visitors: provide some parking for their bicycles close to reception.
A wide variety of cycle stands and parking devices is available. Click here to see a comprehensive list. Be warned! Many manufacturers produce some astonishingly bad designs of stand as well as some very good ones. Bad types of stand are those that simply hold a bike by its front wheel. Most modern bikes have quick release fittings on their wheels - meaning that all a thief needs to do is to flip a catch and make off with the bulk of the bike. Avoid this type of stand. If your organisation already has this sort of bike parking remove it and replace it with something better.
A far superior type of parking is the ubiquitous Sheffield stand . Cyclists simply lean their bikes against it (one either side) and secure both the frame and the wheel using their D-locks or cable locks. Click here to download instructions for installing Sheffield stands
Other types of stand are available and new designs are appearing each year. If you are considering buying a new or unusual sort of stand try and get some feedback from existing users as to how the stands perform. If a design really is the bees knees the manufacturer will be delighted to refer you to a few satisfied customers! The watchwords when siting stands are security and convenience.
Security
Bike thieves like to work unobserved so a secure location for cycle stands is one where staff can see who’s coming and going. If your premises have closed circuit television (CCTV) put your stands within range of the cameras. If bike theft is a severe problem you might want to surround the stands with a fence and a lockable gate. To be ultra-secure you can enclose the bikes completely, each in their own cycle locker [see illustration]. Or you might consider finding space for bikes inside a building and create a dedicated Cycle Centre with parking, lockers, showers and an information point all under one roof.
Convenience
Cyclists want to park their bikes as near to their workplace as possible. Position your cycle parking close to a doorway. On large sites it is preferable to have small clusters of stands in lots of locations rather than all in one central point. Convenience means weather protection too. Is it possible to erect a canopy over your stands? Or can they be sited so as to utilise an existing awning?
Showers and changing rooms
Showers and changing rooms are an asset to any organisation. Their availability will encourage people to cycle in from further afield and they make the extremes of the British weather less of a deterrent. They are likely to be used by non-cyclists too: joggers, runners, motorcyclists, and perhaps by members of the workforce who want to freshen up if they are working longer hours than usual.
Demand for showers will be influenced by the location of your workplace (if it’s at the top of a hill people will arrive hot and perspiring) and by your organisation’s dress code (if you’re in contact with the public you’re probably required to be smartly turned out and sweet smelling!). Your travel survey will enable you to calculate how many showers are needed .
A useful tip. Before putting the case for new shower rooms, make sure that you have identified all existing ones. It is not uncommon for large employers to have showers but for their exact location and the name of the key-holder to be something of a mystery. Track such facilities down when carrying out your site audit and make their location known.
Lockers
Storage space for cycle helmets, waterproofs and luggage is useful and prevents workspace becoming cluttered. A variety of lockers and cabinets is available.
Toolkit
A communal toolbox is a useful resource and can be provided for under £100. Alternatively, if you invite cyclists to donate a few of their surplus tools and spares, you can probably assemble a comprehensive toolkit for almost nothing. Make sure that everyone knows that the tools are available and where they are kept (this should be somewhere with sufficient space to carry out minor repairs). Emphasise that the system works on trust. People take what they need and then return or replace it.
A toolkit should include the following:
- Puncture repair outfit.
- Pump with both presta and Schraeder-type fittings.
- Spare inner tubes in a range of sizes.
- Screwdrivers (various sizes).
- Spanners (various sizes).
- Chain breaking tool and spare chain links.
- A set of allen keys.
- Spoke key and a few spare spokes.
- Oil, grease and WD40.
- Sundry nuts, bolts, zip-ties and bearing balls.
- Spare batteries and bulbs for bike lights.
- Spare brake and gear cables.
A safe and accessible site
As part of your site audit look at how traffic gets on and off the site and how it flows within it. Are there any short-cuts or alternative entrances and exits that could be opened up for cyclists? If your site has a one-way system could a contra-flow lane be marked out for bicycles? Is there a speed limit on your site (20 mph absolute maximum) and is it enforced? If there are speed bumps or ‘sleeping policemen’ are there gaps so that cyclists can bypass them? Is your site and its cycle parking adequately lit?
If an employer is a major landowner there may be opportunities for creating cycle routes or putting arrangements in place that will benefit not only the organisation’s workforce, but neighbouring organisations and the wider community too.
Signs
Good signposting is essential - and it serves a double purpose. Firstly, it directs cyclists to the facilities they are seeking. Secondly, it sends out a powerful message to the rest of the workforce, that cycling is approved of and catered for.
Another form of ‘sign’ is the travel literature your organisation mails to visitors. Typically, it will comprise a map and lots of advice about how to travel there by road, rail, bus, even by air. Why not mention cycling too? mark cycle routes on the map and show where visitors’ bike parking is located.
Other facilities and equipment
The travel survey, site audit and action plan process is about identifying deterrents to cycling and providing solutions. Cycle-friendly employers across the country have introduced numerous measures that make life easier and more convenient for cyclists.
Some, or all, of the following may be appropriate at your workplace:
- Shaver sockets in the male changing rooms.
- Ironing board and an iron.
- Hair dryers.
- Tumble drier (for wet clothes).
- Cyclists’ notice board.
- Battery charger (for bike lights).
- Towels.
