Presentation from the European Mobility Week 2015 full-day training workshop held on 15 April 2015 at Camden Town Hall, organised by Act TravelWise with financial support from the Department for Transport.

1. Get Cycling
Events
Programmes
Services
A Community
Interest Company

2. Bike try-out events in
city centres, parks,
sports centres Events
Loan programmes
Cycle to Work
Disability
Offender programmes

3. Who is your event
for?
Choice of bikes, staff,
techniques, publicity
must be right for
your target audience
Importance of
engagement on the
day

4. Our aim:
to offer unforgettable and often
life-changing experiences for
cyclists and non-cyclists, of all
ages and abilities.

5. Mega-bikes for mass-
transportation at
events or just fun
machines offering a
captive audience.

6. Activity Days and
programmes for
Schools. After-school
sessions for parents.

7. Festivals: one big hit once a year, but more easily commercialised due
to critical mass

8. Portable pedal-powered
velodrome racing game.
Complex electronics
allow competition, and
encourage verbal
feedback based on how
the riders are doing.

9. Pedal-powered scalextric sets
Pedal-powered smoothie makers
Pedal-powered quiz
Pedal-powered virtual racing

10. Bike doctor
events large
and small.
What’s the
purpose?
Why should
your local
bike shop do
it?

11. Bike loan programmes and on-line challenges for workplaces
and communities.

12. Services to Universities
and Colleges
Addressing the differing
needs of students, teaching
and non-teaching staff.
Movement towards hubs.

13. Get Cycling guides for
our local authority
clients, including Welsh
language versions.
Some just digital

14. Green-Link
Zero-emission contract
delivery and distribution
services. Ours is Green-
Link: there are many
others in certain towns
and cities. Suitable for
many public sector uses.
Some opposition from
local authority
employees.

15. Find allies
Colleagues in other departments
Businesses within your cycle to work programmes
Through schools to parents
Local bike shops
Local media
CTC, Sustrans, British Cycling, cycle campaigners, cycle
trainers

16. Publicity.
Draw up a costed marketing plan
Use resources of all your partners. Such as companies
intranetting to all employees.
Leaflet home to all parents through schools: with
nagging power from children
Local radio and TV: press calls with interesting
people/bikes
Use advertising to leverage a lot of editorial
Social marketing

17. Bikes to Work. Familiar but strong
arguments
• Healthier, more alert employees.
Less stress.
• More predictable journeys, so
better punctuality
• Improved mobility/efficiency at
work
• Lower demand for car parks
• Better staff retention
• Helps meet travel plan obligations
• Good PR

18. To boost cycling
to work

19. Identify the Barriers
1
• Why are they not all cycling
to work already?
• Safety fears
• Lack of supporting infrastructure
• Lack of practical knowledge and advice
• Little group, community or societal support
• Little disincentive to jumping in the car
• Still a bit weird!

20. The individual’s perspective
“I’m worried
about a few
things.”
“What sort of
bike do I need
and what
else?”
“I could
really do with
some
training.”
“Which are the
quickest and
safest routes?”
“Be good if there
were more cycle
paths and stands
around”
“Be great if there
were some secure
bike sheds at work,
and maybe some
lockers – and
showers.
“Why should
I cycle?”
“More people
should be cycling
around here. I feel
fit, I’ve lost weight
and it’s such fun!”

21. Find out what they really want and need
 Safety (50%)
 Journey to work too far to cycle
(45%)
 Get wet if it rains (35%)
 No bike (25%)
 Too much to carry (23%)
 Pollution (20%)
 Not fit enough (18%)
 Bad for my image (1%)

22. Lead from the front
2
“If senior
managers
do it, then it must
be cool for me to
do it, too!”

23. Prepare the Stage
3
Set the scene
Begin the persuasion process
Cycling Guides
Factsheets
Posters
Intranet
Doctor Bike visit
Newsletter stories on existing employees who cycle
Employee survey

24. Find a Champion
4
With the right skills
Make him/her feel valuable
Back your champion up and be seen to do so.
Ideally a male champion and a female champion.
Build up to a Bicycle user group
Bike-buddy scheme

25. Meet real needs with real facilities:
Bike Park
5
Safe, attractive cycle stands, covered, locked bike
park
Avoid the word ‘shed’
Put it in prominent place, with
your logo on it
Consider using car park land

26. Meet real needs with real facilities:
Bike Pool6
Bike pool, perhaps including an electric bike.
Tool kit
Controlled by bike champion or B.U.G.
Relationship with local bike shop
Buy quality: take advice, not necessarily from local bike shop!
Small frames, hub gears, branded panniers.

27. 7Meet real needs with real facilities:
Indoor7
Changing room
Lockers
Shower
Not all may be necessary

28. Cut car-parking space
8 Cut car-parking
options while making
other ways of getting
to work more
attractive
Few staff will cycle all
year round: they have
a range of options,
including public
transport, walking,
and car.

29. Bike purchase through salary sacrifice
9
Publicise it well
through an
annual event,
inviting
suppliers.
CycleScheme
magazine is free.

30. It’s for ALL your employees
10
Not just your office staff,
who will be easiest to
recruit
Other workers may need a
different approach and
different incentives
Do they get paid time off to
experience cycling
promotion events or
activities?

31. Incentivise
11
Cash rewards
Time off work
Lunch vouchers
Prizes
Hotel weekend with family
Trips to the velodrome

32. Cycle Challenges
12
Mass participation through multi-
featured software
Lots of easy measurables
Often same people year after year

33. BikeBoost Cycle loan programmes
1 3
Up to 40 participants per
month
Recruitment visit
Triage for selection
Training if necessary
Loan of bikes and equipment
Support and incentives
Bike collection, appraisal
65% continuation rates
High female participation
Can buy the bike at high
discount if their loan included
training

34. Cycle Training
14
Adult cycle training difficult to make stick
Call it coaching instead
Tie it into benefits: lots of good ideas out
there
Offer it as part of try-out roadshows
Offer it as part of a Get-into-Cycling package
with and bike maintenance

35. Chart achievements
15
Use of prominent charting to
show increase in cycle-miles to
work, C02 saved etc. Shows
communal effort.

36. Support local charity ride(s)
16
Have a corporate
presence:
good local PR
Take part yourself!

37. Bikes AT and not just TO work
17 Can offer better
mobility at large-site
workplaces
Carrier cycles for the
on-site movement of
goods
Staff on the road can
take folders for
flexibility
Visibly changes
culture

38. Greenwheels Sustainable Transport Day
18
Cycling part of a
sustainable transport
continuum
A try-out event with bikes,
electric bikes, electric
scooters, electric cars,
public transport, etc.
Greenwheels

39. Employers need to be fully aware of the
services available from the local autority.
19
This can be anything from
Personal Travel Planning to cycle
training to providing trained
guides for occasional social bike
rides for staff.

40. Persuade an employee to hand over their car
keys for a month in exchange for free bike loan,
travel pass and a £50 voucher for a local shoe
shop.
Can apply to whole families, with bikes, passes
and car club vouchers to meet all their varying
everyday needs.
Less value in it if you can’t get the local media
on board.
Power of a local news story
20

41. An image we use in our
schools work to stimulate
discussion

42. Jim McGurn
Chief Executive
Get Cycling CiC
22, Hospital Fields Road
York
YO10 4DZ
admin@getcycling.org.uk
01904 636812
Mob: 0772 0846611
www.getcycling.org.uk