Ride to Work

Each day, millions of trips are made for employment purposes. The overwhelming majority of these journeys are taken by car – with subsequent congestion, pollution and parking problems. Bicycling, especially for short trips, is an excellent alternative. Governments and an increasing number of businesses and their employees are realising the benefits of this healthy, pollution and stress free form of travel.


Australia

  • Workplaces: Fairfax Media
    New South Wales Government Premier's Council for Active Living
    The Fairfax Media sustainable commuting project is an excellent example of how organisations can encourage and assist their employees to incorporate active living into their daily travel.
    Visit Site
    Photo gallery - Visit Site
  • Cycling in the workplace
    Reporter: Nicole Chettle, Broadcast: 13/07/2009, " Australian Broadcasting Corporation - Lateline
    Cycling is becoming an increasingly popular way to get to work. Last year more bicycles were sold in Australia than cars, and businesses have embraced the trend as they see the benefits of a leaner and more invigorated workforce. 
    Visit Site  
    http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/business/items/200907/s2624804.htm
  • TravelSmart Australia
    2006, Information on how to create a cycle-friendly workplace.
    Many workplaces around Australia are supporting their employees to use sustainable ways to travel during work for business trips and lunch breaks. Providing a staff bike fleet is an excellent way to improve the health and well being of employees, and a bike fleet places considerably less demand on parking space than other vehicles.
    • Bicycle Victoria - National Ride to Work Day
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    • Information on National Ride to Work Day.
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    • Employers
      Information on national Workplace TravelSmart initiatives and access to toolkits for employers and cycle friendly workplaces.
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    • How to setup a successful bike fleet
      The purpose of this Toolkit is to assist organisations that may be considering the implementation of a bike fleet. The Toolkit can help them do so effectively and efficiently. It can also be used by organisations that have decided to implement a bike fleet, or by individuals who are trying to convince management of the benefits of a fleet.
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  • The Australian Bicycling Achievement Awards
    Award for a bicycle friendly business
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    The 2007 Winner was the Public Transport Authority, Western Australia, with an honourable mention going to Cardno Pty. Ltd., Wide Bay Visit Site

New South Wales

  • Premiers Council for Active Living NSW
    Case Study for Active Travel: Optus relocation
    The case study outlines the various processes that Optus undertook to create an active travel culture within their organisation.  The Optus Sustainable Transport Strategy (the Transport Strategy) is designed to increase the travel choices for employees to commute to Optus Centre Sydney (OCS) in Macquarie Park, with an emphasis on improving access by sustainable modes of transport. It is an example of integrated transport planning, and can be considered as a Workplace Travel Plan.
  • Beaches Health Service Workplace Travel Plan 2009
    Northern NSW Health, (2009) 2012, A NSCCH Health Promotion initiative
    The Go Active 2 Work project focuses on active transport as a means of improving the health and wellbeing of staff within the Northern Sydney Central Coast Area Health Service. Intended outcomes of Go Active 2 Work, which is being piloted within the Northern Beaches Health Service (NBHS).
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  • Roads and Traffic Authority
    This site provides information pamphlets on cycling to work, safe cycling and getting around by bike.
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  • Cycling in the City Project
    City of Sydney
    The program is based on a successful pilot developed by Dr Gabrielle Kuiper and Dr Chloe Mason in 2004 with grant funding received from the NSW Department of Environment and Conservation.
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  • Bike Bus
    video on how a bike bus works.
    Fiona Campbell leads the bike bus from the inner west of Sydney to the CBD.
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  • A guide to setting up a bike pool within a risk management framework
    Rissel, C. & Telfer, B. (2005) March 2005, Health Promotion Unit, Sydney South West Area Health Unit
    This guide is written to help people who want to set up a bicycle pool in their workplace. It primarily takes an organisational point of view, with a particular emphasis on larger and more bureaucratic organisations. There are plenty examples of the day-to-day running of a bicycle pool, and so this guide does not go into all these specific details. More information about the day-to-day practicalities can be found in the resources listed in the further reading section.
    View PDF

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Victoria

  • TravelSmart Victoria
    • Workplaces
      Information on TravelSmart in Victorian workplaces, including links to travel planning guides, the walksmart and cyclesmart initiatives as well as tools for developing the business case for TravelSmart.
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    • Workplace case studies
      This site provides a range of local and international case studies, documenting the adoption of workplace TravelSmart programs in a variety of settings.
      Visit Site
    • Cycling benefits
      Provides evidence on the benefits of walking and cycling, focused on workplace outcomes, such as absenteeism.

      CycleSmart - Visit Site
  • Bicycle Victoria
    • Workplace bicycle user groups
      If you're thinking of getting the cyclists in your workplace together, take a look at Bicycle Victoria's Workplace BUG Guide (right).
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    • Bicycle parking handbook
      Take the guesswork out of bike parking design.  Design a layout to suit your space—a plan that works first time. Know what riders want and develop a design that will save you time and money.
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Queensland

  • TravelSmart Queensland
    Workplaces
    Visit Site

    Information on Queensland’s TravelSmart Workplaces program.
    Some of the issues stopping people from cycling to work include:
    Where do I park my bike during the day?  
    But, I can't go around in my cycling gear all day! 

    Now you don't have to, in Brisbane at least.  There is a brand new parking station in the Brisbane CBD with showers, individual lockers and secure bike parking, adjacent to a public transport hub Visit Site

    The bike parking station is a joint initiative between state and local government.

South Australia

  • Cycling Adelaide
    Cycling Adelaide is an initiative designed to reduce existing barriers to cycling for Adelaide’s CBD workers. The program provides safe cycling workshops, on going support and social rides.
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  • TravelSmart South Australia
    Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure
    • Workplaces
      Information on Workplace based TravelSmart initiatives in South Australia.
      Visit Site

 

Western Australia

  • TravelSmart Western Australia
    • TravelSmart Workplace
      Information on Workplace based TravelSmart initiatives in Western Australia.
      Visit Site

 

Northern Territory

  • Pedal power: Darwin council workers get new transport option
    Posted 6 April 2009, ABC news
    Darwin City Council workers now have the option of riding bicycles to meetings instead of driving council vehicles.
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  • TravelSmart Northern Territory
    Information on the Northern Territory’s TravelSmart Workplaces project.
    Visit Site


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New Zealand

  • Secure Bike Parking, example of secure bike parking for a work place
    ViaStrada, 25 November 2007, Media Release
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  • Workplace travel plan coordinator’s guide
    Land Transport New Zealand, (2007) 
    This material has been prepared to help you get a travel plan underway in your organisation. We know that the implementation of workplace travel plans can lead to happier, fitter and more productive employees, as well as providing real cost savings to workplaces.
    View PDF

International

  • UPS Using Bikes to Deliver Packages in Silicon Valley During Holidays
    Michael Graham Richard, 15 December 2009 Canada : TreeHugger - Cars & Transportation Via Mercury News, Cyclelicious
    Last year, we wrote about UPS doing some seasonal deliveries with bicycles in Portland. It looks like the program was successful because they're now extending it to Silicon Valley, where it makes more sense at this time of year than in, say, Maine. Unfortunately, only about two dozens of such cyclists will work for UPS this year. But it's a start.
    Visit Site
  • UK's Cycle to Work Guarantee: Good Idea, But Doesn't Go Far Enough...


    Michael Graham Richard, 30 October 2009, Canada: TreeHugger - Business & Politics Via UK Department for Transport Visit Site , Guardian Visit Site
    The UK transport secretary, Andrew Adonis, has launched a new program to encourage more people to commute to work on bicycles. Currently, only about 3% of UK citizens do that, compared to about 40% in Copenhagen. The initiative is named the Cycle to Work Guarantee and it is a voluntary program that workplaces can join. Members are basically sending the message to their current and potential employees that they'll take measures to make safe storage and changing facilities available to bike commuters. The government is also investing about £140m in improved facilities for cyclists over the next three years.
    Visit Site
  • Business Travelers Take to Their Bikes
    TANYA MOHN, 19 October 2009, The New York Times - Business
    Christopher R. Bennett, a civil engineer for the World Bank who was out of the country for work 172 days last year, is one of what experts say is a growing number of business travelers who bicycle while on assignment.
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  • Is Biking Easier In New York? Ask The Bike Snob
    Jo Ella Straley, 8 September 2009, National Public Radio
    This summer, New York City completed the final stretch of its 200 miles of bike lanes. The city has been labeled officially "bike friendly" by the League of American Bicyclists. To find out what is driving an estimated 23,000 New Yorkers a day to hop on the bike, we turned to a man who is well known in the city's cycling community: the blogger BikeSnobNYC.
    Read the transcript - Visit Site
    Listen to the Story (5 mins 20 sec)- Visit Site
  • Brewery buys commuter bikes for staff
    John Darling, 27 August 2009, The Mail Tribune via Planetizen
    Ashland's Standing Stone Brewing Co., already well-known for its commitment to environmental issues, has gone a step further and bought new bicycles for all employees who promise to ride them to work at least 45 days a year.
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  • London Paramedics Forced to Use Bicycles
    Lib Dem FoP, 22 Aug 2009
    The National Health Service in the UK is so strapped for cash that paramedics are being forced to use bicycle "ambulances" as can be seen in this photo.
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  • Create a Bike-Friendly Office  . . . & Make Your Employees Happy
    Michael Graham Richard, 20 July 2009, Canada - Green Planet
    This article is a bit different. It is written mostly for employers, though if you work for someone else, you can show it to your boss.
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  • Is Slow Cycling Faster?
    Sami Grover, 19 July 2009, The Guardian 'Tests' Riding Styles", USA: TreeHugger - Cars & Transportation (bikes)
    Commuters Go Head to Head in Battle of the Bikes
    OK, so Matt Sparkes' experiment of which 'bike tribe' is fastest is hardly the stuff of scientific break throughs - after all, setting up a race between one rider on a racer, one on a fixed gear bike, one on a mountain bike, and one on a 'granny bike dawdler' is, as he himself admits, "as scientific as a climate change sceptic", but it does raise an interesting debate.
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  • Mountain Bikes Empower Cacao Farmers in Congo
    Jeff Nield, 26 June 2009, Canada: TreeHugger - Food & Health
    A few months ago I posted about Original Beans and the true cost of chocolate. The company is has committed to planting a tree in the country of origin for every bar sold. And now, Original Beans is celebrating a partnership with mountain biking legend Hans Rey's Wheels4Life foundation, that will allow cacao farmers in the Congo much needed mobility.
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  • Bike to Work, Pocket 20 Bucks
    Josh Peterson,(2009), USA: TreeHugger - Cars & Transportation, 24 May 2009The Bicycle Commuter Act
    The Bicycle Commuter Act: The unnoticed tax credit was called the Bicycle Commuter Act. It was penned by Oregonian Congressman Earl Blumenauer. The aim of the bill was to give bicycle commuters a tax break similar to the ones that other commuters are eligible for.
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  • Streetfilms: Luxe Bike Parking in Chicago
    Brad Aaron, (2009), StreetFilms - 21 May 2009, (Film 4.24 mins)
    Continuing the Streetfilms tour of envy-inspiring bike parking garages, Clarence Eckerson files this report from the McDonald's Cycling Center in Chicago's Millennium Park, operated by Bike and Roll on behalf of the city.
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  • Employers, Here's How You Can Create a Bike-Friendly Office
    Michael Graham Richard,  14 May 2009, Canada: TreeHugger - Cars & Transportation (bikes)
    "How to Keep Cyclists Happy at the Office"
    Baltimore Spokes has an interesting piece about things that employers can do to help their employees successfully bike to work. It's a very important thing. Even if you have nice bike paths and know all the tips about how to ride, you'll probably be more tempted to give up if your work place is very bike-unfriendly. From an employer's perspective, having bike-commuters in the office is a positive thing; they tend to be healthier, less stressed, and more productive (this sounds a bit too close to fitter, happier, more productive...).
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  • Get Ready for Bike to Work Day (And Then Keep Going)
    Michael Graham Richard,  14 May 2009, Canada: TreeHugger - Cars & Transportation (bikes)
    There are So Many Reasons to Bike to Work
    Bike to Work Day is tomorrow (Q?: How can we make biking to work 'normal'?), and our friend Chris Baskind over at LighterFootStep wrote many interesting things lately on the how and why of biking (plus tips on how not to become an Insufferable Cyclist).
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  • Q?: How Can We Make Biking to Work 'Normal'?
    Michael Graham Richard,  14 May 2009, Canada: TreeHugger - Cars & Transportation (bikes)
    "We need to show people that ride bikes to work, not cyclists that ride to work."
    Tomorrow is Bike to Work Day, and our friends at StreetsBlog, bouncing off something written at M-Bike, ask a very important question: How can we make bike commuting "normal"? How can we make the idea of commuting to work on a bike seem normal (as in not-out-of-the-ordinary) so that more people will be tempted to give it a try. Visit Site
  • Bike to Work Day
    Sarah Goodyear, 13 May 2009, StreetsBlog
    Lots of blogs around the Streetsblog Network are tackling issues related to bike commuting this week in honor of the upcoming Bike to Work Day on Friday. Baltimore Spokes weighs in with a post about how employers can tailor workplaces to encourage employees to ride in.
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  • Can we make biking look normal?
    Sarah Goodyear, 12 May 2009, m-bike.org - Promoting safe and convenient bicycling in Metro Detroit
    Biking to work doesn’t mean one must dress like Lance Armstrong. We need to show people that ride bikes to work, not cyclists that ride to work.
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    Stephanie Sharpe, 13 May 2009, USA: Green Planet
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    Put the brakes on your morning drive with these 5 easy tips.
  • Commute to Work by Bike
    Lloyd Alter, (2009) Toronto: GreenPlanet
    Ten points to consider when bikeing to work.
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  • Connecting Bike Riders with Bike Friendly Employers 
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    Bike riders make great employees, and companies that recognise this are great places to work.  Domestique is dedicated to connecting cyclists of all kinds with employment opportunities. Our passion for sustainable transport is as much a key issue for us as is the sheer enjoyment you get from riding.
  • UK Tax-free bike buying 'Cycle to Work' schemes
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    Did you know you could save up to 50 percent off the price of a bike (and accessories) thanks to a government Green Transport Plan scheme? Here's how.
    • All about the Tax-Free Bike Buying Scheme
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      Cycle to Work is a tax incentive aimed at encouraging employees to, er, cycle to work, thereby reducing air pollution and improving their health. 
      The scheme allows employees to benefit from a long term loan of bikes and commuting equipment such as lights, locks and panniers completely tax free.
    • Cycle to Work Scheme implementation guidance
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      Learn all about 'salary sacrifice' and 'tax exemptions'. This is the detail a Human Resources department would need to create their own bike-buying, tax-break scheme.
  • Oxfordshire County -
    • How to encourage your employees to cycle to work instead of using their cars.
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      Cycling is ideal for shorter journeys. It is good for the health, cheap compared with car travel, and can often be the quickest way to get from A to B in a busy urban area. A workplace with more employee bicycle journeys will often benefit from less congestion and less space needed for car parking.
    • Work Plan Travel Action
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      How to encourage travel to your workplace on foot, by public transport, and by bicycle.

Videos on Bike Commuting

  • GRIST TV's Channel, September 2008, "Umbra on Commuting by Bike", YouTube
    Video ( 2:10 mins) - Visit Site

    UMBRA is Grist TV's answer to the Agony Aunt.  Grist.org serves up environmental news, commentary, and green living advice, all designed to inform, inspire, and link America's next generation of green citizens.
  • advogirl's Channel, January 2008, "Basics of Going by bike - Commuting", YouTube
    Video ( 3:54 mins) - Visit Site

    Some practical tips to help you use your bike to commute to/from work or for errands.
  • AberdeenshireTP, September 2008, "Workplace Travel Plans", YouTube
    Video (3:03 mins) - Visit Site

    A short introduction to workplace travel plans by Aberdeenshire Council's Transportation and Infrastructure Service - see their blog - Visit Site
  • BikeologyTV, 22 October 2008, "Winter Cycling Basics", YouTube
    Video (5:41 mins) - Visit Site

    More and more Canadians are riding their bikes in the wintertime. This is an extreme sport in Canada, where temperatures can dip to -35 degrees or colder and ice, snow, sleet and wind make conditions difficult, even dangerous at times. But with the right gear and lots of inspiration and advice from Edmonton's winter cycling experts, you'll soon be asking, Who needs a car?

    Be sure to check out the complete Winter Cycling Basics with complete instructions on studding your tires, making a fender flap and proper use of hand signals coming soon to RBCC WebTV.
    Location: Edmonton, Alberta
  • madnordski's Channel, 30 November 2008, "How to Commute by Bicycle in Winter", YouTube
    Video (5:04 mins) - Visit Site

    Bicycle Commuting in Winter is fun and easier than most people think. This short how-to video takes you through the basics. The video reviews the key equipment you need and a few things that might improve your winter biking experience. I've been winter biking for over a dozen years.
  • terrifelton's Chennel, 14 May 2008, "I commute by Bike", YouTude
    Video (5:40 mins) - Visit Site

    This is my entry video for Madison's Bike Commuter of the Year 2008.
  • CyclingScotland, May 2007, Cycle Friendly Employer Award, YouTube
    Video (2.32 mins) - Visit Site

    Cycling Scotland's Cycle Friendly Employer Award is run in conjunction with SHAW (Scotland's Health at Work), soon to be The Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives, and the Scottish Executive's Healthy Living campaign. The aim of the award is to give employers the incentive to achieve a nationally recognised award for promoting cycling in the workplace which will result in a variety of benefits for employers and employees alike.The award itself measures how cycle friendly an employer is against 3 areas, namely Infrastructure, Incentives and Promotion. This not only provides recognition for organisations but also guidance on best practice.
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