Opinions sought from cycling commuters on workplace facilities for cyclists

[Londonbiker]

At our place, there’s a cycle storage facility in the basement car park area. It’s a large “cage” with racks inside, about the size of 10 car parking spaces. CCTV, swipe card access. Several similar facilities at other locations on the site, as well as some outdoor racks.

There’s also a repair station - work stand, tools, and a vending machine that sells tubes etc.

Showers are elsewhere, and lockers are in each individual department, near desks.

Not every building has showers (the bike storage spaces are to serve several buildings). We also have a large sports centre, which is for members only. But cycle commuters can get a free “shower pass” for the sports centre, which allows them to use the changing facilities and showers.

Thank you Bruce. The second person to mention the vending machine idea so must look for these. Appreciate your feedback.

 

[Londonbiker]

Get the bike shed right! Moved to a new office building which has a "well ventilated" bike shed. Problem is the high level gaps depending on the angle of rain mean the bikes down one side get a soaking. Needs some angled sheeting to allow ventilation whilst keeping the rain out but trying to explain that to those in charge is

Thank you Mike. The storage will all be inside. Appreciate your post.

 

[Londonbiker]

USB charging lockers for lights etc?

Great idea. Thank you. Will add to my list.

 

[Londonbiker]

I have cycled to work for some time now and have pretty much created a near perfect environment for commuting. I have a heated indoor space for my bike in which I have a 4 drawer lockable filing cabinet and a double combination locker. There is a gym that nobody really uses so I get free use of that as well. To make it much easier than that would be asking a real lot but fresh towels every day would be amazing and I would pay a few quid to get the salt washed of my bike in the winter for sure.

Thank you Slick. If you could be a ‘member’ that included towels whenever you wanted them, what sort of charge would you be willing to pay Or would be reasonable. Could be a monthly fee or even a pay as you need basis.

 

[Londonbiker]

I think BREEAM is making a difference, at least for new builds or major refurbishments.

BREEAM is a sustainability standard - companies get a score based on how sustainable their building is. Part of this is down to construction materials and design, and part of it is based on the building facilities. (gross oversimplification - sorry!)

Companies like the kudos of having a building that is scored “Outstanding” or “Excellent” rather than just “Very good” - and achieving high BREEAM may also be a planning requirement.

So what’s that got to do with cycling? Well, you get 1 BREEAM point if you have “sufficient” cycle storage spaces - the numbers vary from sector to sector, but typically at least 1 space for every 10 employees. (or for schools etc, it’s per 10 staff+student).
You also get a second point if you provide at least 2 of Showers/Lockers/Changing/Drying facilities.

https://www.breeam.com/BREEAMUK2014SchemeDocument/content/07_transport/tra03.htm

You also get points for NOT having too many car parking spaces!

Thank you Bruce. Appreciate your post.

 

[Londonbiker]

Warm dehumidified clothes drying facilities.

Free shower gel.

Bike racks under cover.

A communal pump

Free = attractive

Thank you Sleuthey. will add all of these to my list of must haves. appreciate your post.

 

[Mike_P]

Make sure the drying facilities are warm all year. Another other issue with my office is that the drying room is only heated when the heating is on so anyone getting soaked in the morning has damp kit to ride home in

 

[ManiaMuse]

I think you should definitely look to include drying rooms free of charge, mainly for office hygiene reasons. No-one likes cyclists hanging up damp clothing on radiators in the office and clothes just don't get dry hanging in a locker if you got drenched on the way in.

Our workplace has a drying room next to the cycle hub (although it is a bit basic) and a nicer one next to the gym changing rooms in our building.

Is your building going to have a gym as well? Might be worth seeing if there are any perks (free or paid for) that you could link to that.

Bike cleaning service is something i would pay for in winter to wash the salt off. £5 maybe (might quite steep to some people but i am sure lazy cyclists would pay that or more).

If you are going to have a repair shop then maybe you could have regular lunchtime bike repair classes for a small fee?

You could definitely charge decent rates for bike servicing/repairs given the convenience of it being on-site.

What about discounted breakfast for cyclists (depends on your catering facilities and how you prove someone cycled in I guess).

Lockers are always an issue at any workplace, especially if you have a gym. No building ever has enough if they are first come first served, especially if they don't get emptied by facilities management on a regular basis. And if you have allocated lockers then they don't get used efficiently and are unused half of the time (weird laws of the universe). You could offer reserved large lockers to cyclists who want to store clothes at work for a fee on a rolling contract basis maybe.

 

[furball]

Rather than faffing around thinking of extras you would be better making sure the showering, changing and drying arrangements right for the number of users. Will for instance a large number of people be needing to use the showers at any particular time? If so, you need to figure out how to accommodate this so people aren't having to hang around waiting for their turn. Will the showers be unisex or segregated? There are different things to consider depending on which way you choose to go.
I speak as a female cyclist who has had to stand in a draughty corridor for half an hour waiting for a bloke to vacate the female shower.

 

[mjr]

If the repair shop is more a workshop than a serviced shop, how about a deal with a local mobile cycle mechanic and a way for riders to request parts (tubes or whatever) or a repair with a way to leave their bikes securely for the mechanic and have them returned?

 

[Londonbiker]

Make sure the drying facilities are warm all year. Another other issue with my office is that the drying room is only heated when the heating is on so anyone getting soaked in the morning has damp kit to ride home in

Thank you Mike. Good point. Will pick up on this.

 

[Londonbiker]

I think you should definitely look to include drying rooms free of charge, mainly for office hygiene reasons. No-one likes cyclists hanging up damp clothing on radiators in the office and clothes just don't get dry hanging in a locker if you got drenched on the way in.

Our workplace has a drying room next to the cycle hub (although it is a bit basic) and a nicer one next to the gym changing rooms in our building.

Is your building going to have a gym as well? Might be worth seeing if there are any perks (free or paid for) that you could link to that.

Bike cleaning service is something i would pay for in winter to wash the salt off. £5 maybe (might quite steep to some people but i am sure lazy cyclists would pay that or more).

If you are going to have a repair shop then maybe you could have regular lunchtime bike repair classes for a small fee?

You could definitely charge decent rates for bike servicing/repairs given the convenience of it being on-site.

What about discounted breakfast for cyclists (depends on your catering facilities and how you prove someone cycled in I guess).

Lockers are always an issue at any workplace, especially if you have a gym. No building ever has enough if they are first come first served, especially if they don't get emptied by facilities management on a regular basis. And if you have allocated lockers then they don't get used efficiently and are unused half of the time (weird laws of the universe). You could offer reserved large lockers to cyclists who want to store clothes at work for a fee on a rolling contract basis maybe.

Thank you for these great comments. will include all of these into our planning. Managing the lockers effectively will be a key consideration. Appreciate your post.

 

[Londonbiker]

Rather than faffing around thinking of extras you would be better making sure the showering, changing and drying arrangements right for the number of users. Will for instance a large number of people be needing to use the showers at any particular time? If so, you need to figure out how to accommodate this so people aren't having to hang around waiting for their turn. Will the showers be unisex or segregated? There are different things to consider depending on which way you choose to go.
I speak as a female cyclist who has had to stand in a draughty corridor for half an hour waiting for a bloke to vacate the female shower.

Thank you for your advice. There will be a large number of showers and segregation will need to be something we plan fo carefully.

 

[Londonbiker]

If the repair shop is more a workshop than a serviced shop, how about a deal with a local mobile cycle mechanic and a way for riders to request parts (tubes or whatever) or a repair with a way to leave their bikes securely for the mechanic and have them returned?

Thank you mjr. It will be staffed for Repairs but good idea about ordering spare parts. Appreciate your post.

 

[jay clock]

warm air pumped through lockers? Ski boot style drying racks for wet shoes?

Sound great btw