By Mary Lauran Hall, New Organizing Institute
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Riding a bicycle to work isn’t just a FUN way to get around, it’s also good for you! It’s even more fun when you have friends who bike with you. Here are some ideas for how to organize your office to be more bike friendly, and recruit your coworkers to start biking
- Start a bike group. The group can launch bike-to-work programs, serve as a liaison for building management, and advise leadership on bike-friendly facilities, incentives, and education. It can also serve as a forum for team members to exchange information and to promote safe cycling to others within the organization.
- Find your local bike advocates. These groups can plug you into local bike-to-work day events and help you determine which streets around your office are best for riding. The Alliance for Biking and Walking has a great tool to find your state or local bike advocacy group.
- Provide facilities for bike commuting. Ideally, every office would allow bikes in the elevator or offer sheltered bike parking. If your building doesn’t, strike up a relationship with building management to discuss options for bike storage. Many local bike advocacy groups and departments of transportation will also install sidewalk bike parking upon request.
- If you can, invest in an office bike. Buy a lightweight commuter or folding bike for the office so that staff can travel to nearby meetings by bicycle. Don’t forget lights and a good lock!
We all need encouragement and support to try something new, and drastically altering a morning commute can be a little intimidating. With the help and support of your coworkers, it is a little easier and you are on your way to a healthier and more eco-friendly commute!
What’s your eco-friendly way to commute to work? Let us know in the comments on our blog.
Mary Lauran Hall is the Communications Coordinator at America Bikes.
https://neworganizingeducation.com/content/blog/tip-encourage-biking-to-the-officeoldId.20121015152552863