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http://www.scotbug.com/buglist/list-of-scotbugs/3451
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CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Questions/Support/Help
BUG (Bicycle User Group) does your workplace have one?
(51 posts)- Started 9 years ago by chdot
- Latest reply from HankChief
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not resolved
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Posted 9 years ago #
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Yep, and it is mature and well used (~400 members). Two members of this parish are heavily involved in running it and major contributors to its success.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Yes and yes, but nothing ever really happens on there. I have posted on it in the past and now have admin rights to help maintain it, but I find it extremely unwieldy to make use of.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Funnily enough I was prompted to start one at my workplace when kaputnik shared a link to the Scotbug site. However like jdanielp I quickly gave up on the Scotbug one: it's just too unwieldy to administer or contribute to, and I moved on to a site on our intranet that is much easier to use.
My top tip for aspiring BUG operators would be to work out a way of capturing a list of subscribers, so that you can do 'push' messaging to them as well as 'pull' messaging. That way you can keep things lively and active.
Posted 9 years ago # -
We do not have one.
I do know though that as an employer we are fairly supportive of cycling - however that is much more evident in London! No idea who I'd speak to here about anything cycling related. We do have a "cycling" group on the Intranet but it is very London centric and tends to be full of messages like "who has locked their bike to mine? I want to go home..."
Posted 9 years ago # -
Yes and yes.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Previous thread -
UofE BUGS (anyone involved?)
Posted 9 years ago # -
According to that my workplace has one.
First I heard of it?
Three from Leith, any thoughts??
Posted 9 years ago # -
What are the benefits to having a workplace BUG? I feel that existing cyclists here are pretty well served for facilities (bike racks right by both entrances, a couple of showers). Things could be improved (there are only 4 lockers, and they are in the room with one of the showers) but those are minor details especially with the current level of cycling.
So would a BUG be more about encouraging people who don't currently cycle?
Posted 9 years ago # -
"So would a BUG be more about encouraging people who don't currently cycle?"
Interesting/useful question, partly why I started this thread.
I get the impression that (as with most things) a lot depends on who runs them. There seems to be a split between 'user run' and 'corporate' - the latter may be because someone thought their company/org 'should' have one, or the person who started it has moved on and the BUG is 'static'.
I think some BUGs have been useful internal pressure groups arguing for (and often getting) 'better facilities'.
I think there is scope for BUGs to encourage 'new' people - I'm sure many do - but that would come down to 'resources' (ie keen people).
Though I seem to remember a thread on here about a work's 'cycle group' (perhaps not a formal BUG) which was concerned with high-end equipment and speed and not particularly 'inclusive'.
Posted 9 years ago # -
"
This is the story of 2 year campaign to get a ¾ mile stretch of back roads sorted for cyclists It all began 3 years ago when a colleague set up a Bicycle User Group (BUG) at work to help us, the regular cycle commuters, to better communicate between ourselves and our employer.
This was a major step forward for us as we could decide what was important to us. Finally, the years of snippets of changing room grumbles could be combined into a single approach to the company.
We had some good successes in the first year: dormant lockers reassigned and new lockers purchased eliminating the two-year waiting list, tidying up the drying room and replacing the polished concrete surface in the basement with an anti-skid one.
"
http://www.pedalonparliament.org/gogar-station-road-how-to-fix-a-road-in-273-emails/
Posted 9 years ago # -
Nelly - never heard of it. A search on the company intranet finds no mention of one. It has never been mentioned or advertised on Company noticeboards. It must be a top-secret BUG; no-one I know in my dept who cycles knows about it.
We need a proper one to work to try to counter the keech like 'bikes aren't traffic' / 'walk bikes in the car park because we can't expect drivers to look for cyclists' / new speed ridges to slow cars to 10mph which have no effect on drivers but are battering the cr*p out of bikes... ;-)
Maybe someone can post a question on the intranet discussion page to ask if there's a BUG ? (I would, but as a 3rd party employee I'm not allowed to post there unless it's in response to 'wanted/for sale' posts).
Posted 9 years ago # -
My top tip for aspiring BUG operators would be to work out a way of capturing a list of subscribers, so that you can do 'push' messaging to them as well as 'pull' messaging.
Essentially, go where your audience already is.
We've had a BUG at my work for a long long time, and it's been through... *counts fingers* five iterations of hosting platform. I investigated ScotBUG a couple of years ago and I thought it was pretty awful, especially for admin. Currently it exists in two* places at once, an internal Facebooky sort of site that's brilliant for the people stuff, and an older document management platform that's not very forum-friendly† but has been the mainstay for a long time. So we have the ability to push information, by dint of automatic daily updates, and to store information.
Word of mouth seems as effective as putting up posters on noticeboards. As you might expect there's an inner core of users who 'do' content and some admin and promotion, and an outer core who contribute to content.
*† So more like one-and-a-half places, really.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I see @chdot has quoted me above...
From an existing cyclist point of view I do think that the BUG has been instrumental in combining energies to get things improved with the company.
A biproduct has been the interactions between cyclists, which tend to be answering questions.
(Think of it as a mini CCE but without the thread creep).The BUG made it possible to run events to encourage others to cycle as we could get volunteers to man the stall etc.
The questions at the stall are nearly all about getting a locker and finding a safe route - tapping into the BUG'S knowledge of coming from various direction helps with this.
I'd say ours is run by the cyclists for the cyclists, rather than being a corporate vehicle.
Posted 9 years ago # -
@Hankchief
"I'd say ours is run by the cyclists for the cyclists"
I'd definitely agree with you on that. Both you and Greenroofer have guided newbies since the last event and I am very happy to if asked.
All cyclists tend to greet each other around the building and have a bit of banter, but it is far from a closed shop or clique - I was welcomed in as a newbie and hope I have welcomed others.
There are enough people who cycle (> 4% on the best days in an office of 3000 people) for it to be a significant minority and should be encouraged further by the company as the office expands and car parking doesn't.
Posted 9 years ago # -
@Paddyirish
I know lots of cyclists within the firm from the changing room chats. The funny thing I don't always know peoples names despite changing next to them for sometimes years.
Some people are more vocal than others and the chats are pretty varied. Quite a inciteful lens on the company as we discuss the hottopic of the day.
And then we have our 50+ people strava club. Lots of people on there who I gave no idea who they are but I can see their route & speed. Sometimes I like to guess.
Posted 9 years ago # -
"4% on the best days in an office of 3000 people"
Anyone know how closely M/F ratio of cyclists matches M/F ratio of staff?
Posted 9 years ago # -
Hello folks, I am picking up this thread as per chdot's advice over several coffees.
I've been in touch with a couple of the forum regulars regarding an Edinburgh cycle project that I am working on and would be keen to see if anyone in a BUG would be happy to help spread the word.
I am the challenge manager for the Edinburgh Cycle Challenge, which is running from 1 - 21 March. The jist of it is to encourage new and occasional cyclists to get on their bike, as well as rewarding regular riders.
You sign up for free on http://www.lovetoride.net/edinburgh and encourage colleagues to sign up. You only need to log one bike ride of 10 minutes wherever you want (this is not a commuter challenge) to be eligible to win a prize, so it's a really low barrier to entry and a good way to encourage folk to ride :) The workplace element provides a friendly bit of competition to encourage folk to have a go riding.
This is a behaviour change model with, on average, around 40% of non-cyclists starting to cycle post-challenge and there are other really positive outcomes too.
I have some fab prizes lined up, including a gorgeous Gazelle Esprit city bike from Hart's, so I thoroughly recommend registering for free and getting involved.
If anyone's interested please let me know!! I am really keen to get as many people engaged with the challenge as I can, because it gets more people riding :)
/pitch
Posted 8 years ago # -
Have posted at our bug (quite a big one with > 500 members)
Posted 8 years ago # -
@paddyirish, thank you! That's great :) There is still a month or so to go before the challenge starts, but obviously I'm keen to get folk signed up so that's really helpful. Thanks again.
Posted 8 years ago # -
I registered my work and tried to post to our BUG only to be told that something was being organised centrally and that I shouldn't have bothered.
Posted 8 years ago # -
@SRD Thanks for trying to pop something up at least, that's very much appreciated!
Posted 8 years ago # -
Bumping this thread following the glowing feedback on @Greenroofer's presentation on the RBS BUG.
I work for a rival banking group in Edinburgh. There is a BUG but it is a group-wide one covering multiple locations across the UK and as such doesn't really have any focus. The Gogar RBS group sounds like an example to learn from.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"The Gogar RBS group sounds like an example to learn from."
Indeed.
I believe they have all sorts of stats too.
Wonder how much the improvement of Gogar Station Rd (made possible by RBSBug people) has helped?
Posted 8 years ago # -
We had a chat to a rep from Cycling Scotland this week, and the BUG came up. I don't think I have ever used one, and wonder what the fuss is about?
What is a BUG (not its meaning) and what is it designed to do, other than provide a platform for cyclists to chat online?
Posted 8 years ago # -
"
Table 10a: Reason for changing mode of transport for travel to work, 2012-2015"
http://www.transport.gov.scot/report/j450918-09.htm#Table10
50% of people change mode because they change job or move house each year!
SO lots of opportunities for people to think - and lots of opportunities for governments employers/organisations to help with the thinking.
Posted 8 years ago # -
"What is a BUG (not its meaning) and what is it designed to do, other than provide a platform for cyclists to chat online?"
Ours doesn't have a chat function. mainly employer uses it to tell us stuff like whern bike dr visits or training available to us. but they also send out info about POP when I ask them to, which is handy.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Greenroofer was excellent last night, really inspiring. Love his graphs.
Posted 8 years ago # -
Apart from
-promoting cycling within the group so that cycling is a valued method of commuting which is factored into all transport plans.
-Arranging business mileage for those employees who use their bikes to cycle between meetings
-improving cyclists facilities- more lockers, parking drying facilities and now new changing rooms.
-Persuading a further 500 new cyclists to sign up and commute to work.
-Providing a fleet of Next bikes which are used to get around group properties in West Edinburgh.
-Providing someone to buddy nervous first timers to Gogar
-Arranging regular Bike Maintenance visits
-and providing a medium for cyclists to ask for advice and helpwhat has the Gogar BUG ever done for us?
Posted 8 years ago # -
Greenroofer was excellent last night, really inspiring. Love his graphs.
Are these available anywhere? Having thoughts about trying to kickstart the BUG at my workplace
Posted 8 years ago #
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