CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
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Brought over from the Spotted Thread
"It can only be good news that big employers are getting behind their employees taking on cycling challenges."
Only if companies (and riders) relate it to riding bikes and not just 'charity'/employee relations (or whatever it is called).
What do we think of them?
Better than golf?
Surely anything is better than golf is it not...
My tuppence worth:
If the corporate events gets more people to get on their bikes then that should be a good thing (aside from raising money for charity).
The training alone will see people take to the road in 'normal' conditions and should help normalise as a way of getting rid work / getting fit / enjoying the weekend.
I don't see them in isolation, more that they are a sign of the times of growing support for cycling and the companies are just following the trend...
Think Barclay/santander (Boris) bikes, Prudential Ride London, Virgin Money Cyclone etc. Etc. (I'm sure to have missed many).
They're all starting to merge in my memory so I can't remember which corporation it was I worked for that had a sponsored Lands End to John O'Groats cycling challenge.
Turned out they were doing it on exercise bikes in the canteen. Too dangerous otherwise.
So yeah, by all means, but independence of mind is a pre-requisite to cycling in my books.
@gembo
I quite like golf as an anthropological and psychological study opportunity.
@IWRATS- I once did one of those static bike events that all got a bit competitive based on how far you could ride in your hour.
Somehow on my turn the bike started to creep forward (from the powar) and before I had finished I was 5 metres from where I started and in the midst of the coffee queue...
"Only if companies (and riders) relate it to riding bikes and not just 'charity'/employee relations (or whatever it is called)."
As it was me who wrote that on other thread, s'pose I'd better add something.
"The training alone will see people take to the road in 'normal' conditions"
Depends on the strenuous nature of the 'challenge' and whether participants already cycle regularly or not.
Either way (I assume) that it doesn't involve many people.
Do the big companies try to enthuse those left at work, or improve the showers or add 10% more bike parking spaces year?
I suspect some people will regard the challenge as a once a life event. Some may like the experience enough to keep cycling, others...(?)
On the other hand I have generally regarded P4S as an annual challenge to many who will neither do it again nor (mostly) add cycling to their weekly or daily habits.
I think now there may be evidence that it has helped normalise cycling a bit and increased the numbers cycling more than once a year.
But it's taken time and a lot of money. CS may like to tot up the column inches of mentions and survey participants, but to what degree it (and company rides) are 'value for input' is harder to pin down. (Purely my opinion of course!)
@iwrats, yes opportunity for freelance ethnographer guy that you see down the pub with his notebooks but he declines because of the trousers you have to wear.
The only one of these things I've participated in was many, many years ago and with a company I didn't work for at the time. They were short of people as cycling was at that time weird and it was real cycling on actual roads.
That was when I wound up miroculous with Digby Jones in Crianlarich singing bawdy songs into the wee smalls. Not sure if even a professional ethnographer would have detected the seeds of his future Brexiteering.
If a company in Edinburgh actually wanted 40% of its staff to cycle to work each day, what would it actually do? Racks, lockers, showers sure, but what else? Depends of course on the value they place on the target. Would they ever actually pay someone to cycle?
My employer isn't bad on cycling and sponsors one of larger closed road sportives in the borders. A couple of years ago they revamped the bike racks from wheel benders to Sheffield stands, closed a (small) office and converted it to a pair of showers and drying facility, brought in cycle scheme and added straighteners and hair dryers to the shower facilities.
I'm not really sure what else they could do short of relocating from the gyle meat**** roads but then town and trams aren't all that more enticing. Car parking is already seriously rationed and a car share scheme is in place.
If you start paying for employees to cycle (or drive), I expect you then have a duty of care for that journey, I'm not sure any sane lawyer would let a company take on that risk with the current roads.
IWRATS - the only organisation in Edinburgh that could get 40% of its staff cycling to work is the Council, as they have the power to install segregated cycle lanes on our roads. Showers, free bikes and all the rest might tip a few "almost cyclists" over the edge, but does nothing to fundamentally make cycling safer or more attractive.
@steveo
Wheel benders out, straighteners in. Nice.
@Morningsider
I was wondering if there was an amount of money that would induce people to cycle on current infrastructure, but you are of course quite correct.
My employer too is not bad on "cycling." We sponsor a large long distance road cycling event, which staff take part in and always has high uptake (it can actually be difficult to get a place). That however does not translate into high numbers using bikes day-to-day in Edinburgh, myself included... A colleague did the ride a couple of years ago but said herself she wouldn't cycle to work, or in traffic in Edinburgh, because it's too intimidating and dangerous.
I get the feeling our London office is different - there is a secure bike garage which is so busy that you require to have registered your bike to regulate the numbers. There's a bike repair service, plentiful showers, towels available if you're a member of the on-site gym, drying rooms etc. There's also 2 Boris Bike docking stations within 100m of the office which are great when down for a couple of days (colleagues think I'm mad at first, until I leave the hotel 20mins later than them and arrive before...). Further we were one of the (admittedly many) signatories supporting further investment in segregated cycle infra in London.
Now, how does that translate in the regions? I'm not entirely sure to be honest. For our office of c250 people, within a larger office complex there are maybe 10 Sheffield Stands in the secure car park, to be shared amongst us and perhaps 5/6 other companies. There's closer to 60 car parking spaces. We have 4 showers with hairdryers etc which is great and really handy. Nowhere to hang wet towels to dry though.
Thing is, what would it take to get 40% of people willing to cycle? Ultimately - not sure if that's possible. I would estimate that about 60% max of the c250 people are there at any time. The remainder are out and about at clients/meetings/working from home. If I'm going to a client meeting then I generally don't cycle, because I need a clean & ironed shirt!
Things we could do to promote - for one thing actually make people aware of cycling for transport, rather than just as an annual/weekend leisure activity. We have pictures of cycling on the walls but they are all lycra-clad, racing etc. I had to ask around to find where the bike racks are, and they are usually full.
Some sort of voice coming out in support of cycle infra would be helpful - if the large employers of Edinburgh were able to use some sway in the way that they have in London then it could really put some pressure on the council to deliver properly. That would be as big as anything, but would need to be in conjunction with things that make it easier to cycle (drying facilities etc).
@Hankchief,
IIRC last year's event was heavily oversubscribed and many people didn't get what they wanted (5 day, 1 day or 0.5 day option).
This year with the fundraising target raised meant that it was undersubscribed and deadline extended at least once.
Seems like there was a large amount of interest, but if not everyone was accepted, were they cyclists already or people who would have been tempted to start but missed out and didn't bother. 500 miles on roads including London, should be enough to get rid of any fear of commuting.
In terms of what employers can do, remove some on-site parking. Even removing 10 car parking spaces could provide ? Sheffield Stands. Removing another 20 could provide a shower/locker block. Ensure that parking spaces are reserved for those who lift-share or have to travel > ? miles...
Provide commuting classes for those who want to try. We have a successful BUG which relies a lot on a small number of volunteers (2 in particular from this community) who give up their own time.
One employee allocated part of time and funding to be a champion with goals (bonus-driven) to get cycling friendly employer status, green awards and measureable progress in number of cyclists.
Cost would be outweighed by benefits of a healthier (fewer sick days), more alert workforce and the feel good factor.
"Cost would be outweighed by benefits of a healthier (fewer sick days), more alert workforce and the feel good factor."
That's always argued (and backed up with evidence) but are most employers listening/acting?
It going to be busy in the lakes tomorrow.
Ride Across Britain - Haydock to Penrith
Tour de Pudsey - Carlisle to Ingleton
London to Edinburgh - Preston to Carlisle
Hope they have different signage...
@iwrats, any half decent freelance ethnographer would have detected digby's brexit credentials as the clue is in his name.
It is official that 98% of Digbys voted leave.
When I was talking to women about what got them cycling or what encouraged teenage girls to cycle, then charity challenges and sponsored rides came fairly high up on the list as the trigger that tipped them into it. Obviously lots of other things need to be in place, as Morningsider suggests, especially if it's going to be more than a one off, but going out with friends to train etc. was really helpful for normalising what has become a bit of an eccentric activity. So I think they are to be encouraged, but always bearing in mind the wider context
I saw a single file group of 6 teenage girls today cycling on Grange Loan, possibly coming from JGHS.
We were at the Dumfries campus freshers' fair today - really interesting talking to the girls about cycling. Quite a lot of 'I've not rode my bike in ages - I used to as a child. I don't know why I stopped. I used to really love it, but I don't even have a bike now. I really should get back into cycling'.
As we went to the pub after the infamous Roseburn public meeting, there were 2 female students leaving the pub with hockey sticks in their bag and unlocking their bikes.
It cheered me up no end to see (some of) the next generation embracing cycling as I did many years ago (not hockey though)
" I don't know why I stopped"
@ Sally
As you'll be aware, quite normal for teenagers - especially girls.
A lot to do with how they (and more particularly their friends) travel to school (and other places).
Need to talk - so walk or bus - not usually single file cycling.
http://road.cc/content/news/205046-hsbc-uk-confirmed-british-cyclings-new-lead-partner
HSBC UK has been confirmed as the lead partner of British Cycling, replacing the broadcaster Sky,
I met someone whose husband is completing the Ride Across Britain today. From his diary:
"There is I can report an important difference between England and Scotland. It is state of the minor B roads...The English roads through to and past Carlisle were very smooth and straight...at Gretna...the same road becomes instantly bumpy and continues criss-crossing the motorway. However I was prepared having put on two cycle bib shorts to smooth the bumps".
Apart from that he's apparently enjoying it very much.
I do not think wearing one over the top of the other was the advice for safe cycling?
More on the theme.
Countess of Wessex starts 450-mile cycle from Edinburgh - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-37408738
It was exactly this type of event that got me back into cycling. I took part in a ride from Edinburgh to Brighton (the last leg taking on the famous London to Brighton BHF ride which my employer sponsors).
Took us 6 days all in and it was a baptism of fire being the toughest thing I'd ever done. But I was hooked!
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