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How can employers better support cyclists?

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  • November 2, 2012 at 12:07 pm #17181
    dmr31

    Hi, I’m trying to understand what employers can do to better support their cyclists including whether they should be getting mechanics to come on site periodically?

    I’m running a short survey if you have ~5 mins to contribute:

    http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LQSM52B

    Any views and comments helpful. For me there are a set of basics around bike parking, showers, lockers. However, if you have a demanding job it would be helpful if more was offered – e.g., getting to a bike shop to sort out problems is time I don’t really have; likewise for weekend rides (on the proper bike) would be great if I could bring it in on Friday and pay somebody £15 to give the chainset a once over and get it ready to go

    Is this common or am I in the minority?

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Viewing 8 replies - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)
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  • November 7, 2012 at 12:53 pm #705415
    0
    drheaton

    From my experience, you need
    From my experience, you need plenty of showers unless you allow flexible working so people can turn up at different times. There’s a couple of cyclists in my office, they both start at 9 and end up fighting over the single shower on our floor.

    Flexible hours might also be a great idea as it’d allow people to come and go to avoid traffic/weather etc and in general is a very positive thing for workers.

    Storage and radiators also are in demand. The radiators in the men’s loo’s always have towels and shorts on them.

    Possibly having a LBS come in monthly doing minor servicing or something might be useful.

    Plus cake.

    Raleigh also has a good idea on the fruit, having a regularly refilled fruit bowl would be good, ours is very popular.

    And cake.

    November 6, 2012 at 9:55 pm #705413
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    Raleigh

    Tru dat ^
    Did he mention
    Tru dat ^

    Did he mention cake?

    Also bananas.

    November 6, 2012 at 9:27 pm #705411
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    didds

    TBH I see zero benefit of
    TBH I see zero benefit of having a mechanic onsite – the chances of a visit coinciding with anything that HAD to be done THEN and THERE is almost zero. As someone else said if it is THAT bad you’re more likely to arrange a lift home and get it sorted by either yourself or your preferred LBS rather than some random bloke in a van that you know nothing about and have no experience or relationship with.

    The truly useful stuff has been touched on already but it comes down to

    * secure bike storage
    * cake
    * showers
    * suitable drying/kit storage areas
    * cake

    didds

    November 5, 2012 at 10:30 am #705409
    0
    dmr31

    Thanks for all the comments
    Thanks for all the comments and survey responses

    Campag_10 you’re absolutely right – this is effectively market research on mobile bike repair plus a few other things. I’m trying to 1) understand what cyclists feel their do employers should provide, 2) validate or disprove a hypothesis that there’s value to having mechanical (and other) services on site, 3) get some sense of what would be important about those services in order that people would use them (they’d have to pay for themselves – I don’t really see employers using them)

    What do you think?

    November 3, 2012 at 11:49 am #705407
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    Campag_10

    Questionnaire reads like
    Questionnaire reads like market research for a mobile bike repair service.

    November 3, 2012 at 10:36 am #705405
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    Raleigh

    Done for my school
    Done for my school

    November 2, 2012 at 8:57 pm #705403
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    monty dog

    From someone who cycles to
    From someone who cycles to work year round – somewhere to store your kit and when you return at the end of the day to find it dry and warm. Putting on damp kit that’s been in an airless locker or drawer all day isn’t the most pleasurable of experiences.

    I also find going into an office to find someone else’s stinky kit draped all over the place isn’t very sociable in these days of open plan.

    November 2, 2012 at 7:41 pm #705401
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    Simon E

    Didn’t someone ask for a
    Didn’t someone ask for a similar survey only the other day.

    I completed that one but the one thing that struck me as missing after a wet commute this morning was the absence of drying facilities. Had to lay gloves and overshoes on a radiator and put shoes outside in the sun, but a dedicated facility of some sort would have been appreciated.

    There are mobile mechanics but I’d hope not to need one while at work. TBH I’m more likely to get a lift home and sort the problem out later.

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