Cycling to work incentives

I am looking to explore ways in which to incentivise more cycling to work, and would like to know if your workplace offers any reward/incentive/support for riding into work.

The local authority have an abundance of water bottles, hi-vis slapbands, bells etc - to hand out to people as a reward, but these items really aren't going to support an increase in cycling in my opinion.

I am looking at offering regular health checks, access to GPS systems amongst a few other things, but need to get some opinions on what might make folks from a wider circle, cycle to work more often. Even if its infrastructure related like installing lockers, it would be good to know....
I appreciate that i am asking the converted, but your opinions will help.
Cheers in advance.

We have a very secure lockup, basically a surplus loading bay was converted to bike storage. There is a magnetic lock on the door that only employee IDs enrolled for access will open. For me, indoor secure parking is a big plus. We don't do much more than that though.

one of the key incentives without any of the above is that the cost of commuting by bike is negligible against that of public transport.

my workplace has secure parking which is a plus but not really an incentive.

a pound for every mile would be a nice gesture.

one of the key incentives without any of the above is that the cost of commuting by bike is negligible against that of public transport.

my workplace has secure parking which is a plus but not really an incentive.

Until it breaks/needs servicing. Quite easy to spend the cost of a monthly bus (or even tube) pass once you start having to replace things.

A higher rate of travelling expenses than that paid for car driving or public transport.

Not really an incentive: a simple thing, but effective - a word-wide email list. Handy for when you get a puncture, need a spanner, and, esp. for new cyclists, a source of advice. Especially useful if the estates office manager runs it...

1. secure parking
   
2. showers
   
3. somewhere to dry wet clothes
   

Until it breaks/needs servicing. Quite easy to spend the cost of a monthly bus (or even tube) pass once you start having to replace things.

reasons not to commute on a njs fixie.

my costs to keep my bike on the road work out about £200 a year.
that's new tyres, brake pads, chains, sprocket and chain ring.
there isn't much else to wear out.

servicing at home brings the cost down further.

The first thing that I would ensure as an incentive is a commitment to a bare minimum of standards;
1) Give them somewhere to cycle to. A clear, allocated area for bike parking. This should include, in order of importance;

• specifically designed, wheel friendly, cycle stands that allow for locking through the frame.
  
• covered to provide shelter from wet weather
  
• preferably indoors in a place that allows for quick drying/melting of snow and ice in winter. If that isn't possible then it should be close to the entrance to the building and absolutely prohibited from use as a smoking shelter under pain of disiplinary action.
  In theory this sounds a lot but could be a careful reallocation of unused space and the installation of bike parking facilities aren't always that expensive (see ads in the back of London Cyclist). It is also possible to do this easily of the property is rented or part of a business park where a group/multi-company effort could be orchestrated
  2) A provision of changing space. This should include, in order of importance;
  
• Sufficient space for all of the frequent cyclists, with room for expansion, to change quickly and easily upon arrival at work. This should consider the needs of others in the office as well, such as those who might want to run to work or in breaks. Gender segregation is preferable but not essential depending on circumstances.
  
• A wet rack to allow for the drying of waterproofs and other clothes.
  
• Storage for clothes, preferably in the form of a locker.
  
• A decent sized sink with the provision of soap and a hand dryer or paper towels.
  
• A well managed shower area with adequate provision of drying space for towels.
  as with above, these sorts of things are usually fairly easy to arrange and usually a bit of creative thinking can go a long way.
  
  

After that I tend to favour the following incentives;

• A specific programme, oranised through the HR function, to facilitate cycle training, preferably subsidised if required.
  
• Subsidised maintenance and repair training if available locally
  
• A track pump at work
  
• A nominated cycle champion who can, as part of their working day, aid in route selection, offer impartial bicycle selction advice for new commuters, basic bicycle checks and advice on maintenance queries, accompanied commuting, support in accessing other information as required.
  
• The bike to work scheme that is run in a way that maximises the benefit to the employee, not the company.
  
• Fair consideration for the impacts of cycle commuting and flexibility in relation to punctuality. i.e if an employee rocks up 15 minutes late because they've had to ride into a 25mph headwind, that shouldn't be a matter for complaint as long as the time is made up soon after. If timeliness is a particular issue with an employer, cycle commuters should be encouraged to allow "puncture time" in their commute to work and allowed to recoup that time in a mutually agreed way.
  
• Healthy days. In recognition of the health benefits of cycling and the impact that has on productivity and decline in days taken off sick. Employees who cycle commute should be able to accrue some time off healthy if they haven't been off sick for a while.
  
• I did come across a company with a large cycling workforce that had some random voucher days. On days, determined at random, anyone who could demonstrate they had cycled to work would automatically be entered into a moderately generous draw for some vouchers for things like the local coffee shop, cinema, book shop, bike shop etc.
  
  

As you can see, the vast majority of that is about fostering a culture where cycle commuting is promoted, encourage and supported by the employer as a reasonable, normal and favourable thing to with the benefits being actively recognised.

This is fantastic. Thanks for the comments so far.

In the past few months, i have offered free cycle shelters amd installation to organisations that in return, simply have to agree to have us visit the workplace on 'x' occasions, to offer some participation sessions (led rides, maintenance sessions, skills workshops) but FREE just doesnt interest employers, surprisingly.

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/MANUALS/eimanual/EIM21668.htm < up to six days per annum

food
clothes
shelter

time
money (or "value")

not stickers or plastic crap

"status" too.

if you can crack that one Dan. you'll win.

Free doesn't mean anything other than it suggests that there's no value to it and no one wants something of no value.
You're better off manufacturing a scenario where you've been asked to contact them about cycling provision in the workplace and go from there. Usually this means you approach one of the employees who cycles to work and get them to fill out a request card to approach the employer about improving facilities etc. It helps a lot if there's more than one cycling employee so they can be the one that "did something", ticking the first status box.
Once you get one on board you market them as a success story and other companies will begin to follow.
What you really need is incentives to companies to provide facilities rather than incentives for cyclists. Also, health checks and GPS probably aren't going to be motivators. People don't generally want to know the exact state of their health unless it's of serious or professional concern. GPS doesn't help if you already know the way to get to work.

An idea is to give the stuff to the cyclists anyway. Find a location near a knot of employers with some commuting cyclists, set up a free for all Dr Bike, cycling promotion stall, feed the nodders, lead some rides. Do it on a regular basis, get talking to the customers and build up a picture. You then get to approach the employer and say you've noticed they have some cycle commuters with a bunch more who are interested and offer to facilitate.

reasons not to commute on a njs fixie.

my costs to keep my bike on the road work out about £200 a year.
that's new tyres, brake pads, chains, sprocket and chain ring.
there isn't much else to wear out.

servicing at home brings the cost down further.

In fairness since I initially bought and fixed up my bike I've only had to replace brake pads/cables, a gear cable and the BB but still, it's not free and if it happens to go wrong at the end of the month it can really bite. I suppose my point is that people need to allow for that - a travelcard is easy to integrate within a budget, an exploding drivetrain not so much.

[ Incentives: -

1. Makes you awesome.
   
   

/END]

Cycle maintenance workshops, in addition to a 'leave your bike and we'll service it' offer seems to be really popular, but it works well for existing cyclists, as opposed to getting the 'maybe' cyclist out of their car and on to a bicycle.

True, but a lot of would be cycle commuters do have a bike kicking about in the garage/shed/wherever. Re-market the service as a back on the road scheme and it's the same work but to the appearance of different ends. Sometimes you have to tell people that what you have is what they want. A bike service by any other name still smells of sweet GT85.

The Seldom Killer - I want to work where you work! The incentives you listed up thread sound great.

For what it's worth, we get a semi-secure and fairly damp outdoor space and a shower full of hair with nowhere to leave towels. We used to have a track pump but someone stole it.

Still better than getting the train though.

[ Incentives: -

1. Makes you awesome.
   
   

/END]

This!

Working as a self-employed / contract based worker I get to claim 20p per mile I commute.

On top of that I'm saving myself £3.10 each way in train fares, getting 2 decent 25min bursts of exercise and fresh(ish) air..

Overall "cashback" of nearly £9 per day on my usual mileage and travel savings + fair level of fitness and endorphins.
What more incentive could I ask for?!

The Seldom Killer - I want to work where you work! The incentives you listed up thread sound great.

Yeah, I want to work there too. At the moment I'm unemployed but that's just what I think really needs to be done. I wish I could work somewhere trying to promote cycling but that sort of position doesn't really exist around here at the moment.

No-one gives you a Metro, but you always get a seat

No-one gives you a pile of hogwash not fit for toilet paper and you always get a seat

ftfy