FOCUS ROUTES TO WORK
will be more attractive for people to make
the move to cycling to work,” said James
Mabbett of Atalian Servest.
This is a fine example, but can more be
done? Tom Bogdanowicz, Senior Policy
and Development O icer, London Cycling
Campaign said: “Every employer should
be providing an active travel plan for its
employees to get to work. Many do, but not
enough and right now, despite campaigning
by us and other groups like ours across the
UK, there is still not enough information
about how much easier and safer riding a
bike is in our cities now. There’s more
to be done, but, for example,
the new cycleways
running north-south
and east-west in
London make it
possible to ride
across the city
with a child, as
I do, because
road danger
has been
reduced.”
Even before
COVID-19 many
forward looking
o ices saw more than
10 per cent of the sta riding
a bike to work. During the pandemic
riding a bike was so popular shops ran out
of bikes to sell and parts for repairs.
Bogdanowicz continued, “The potential
for cycling is obviously much higher than
it is. TfL estimates an additional eight
million cycle trips per day could be made
30 NOVEMBER 2020
in London. And cargo-bikes have increased
in numbers now that they have electric
assistance and can carry loads all day
without getting too tired. The stigma of
cycling has reduced and it’s no longer
unusual to see an estate agent arriving at
a property by bike and there is no shame
in parents taking a child to school by bike.
Some gardeners get around by cycle (no
parking problems) as do workmen once
they’ve delivered their tools.”
There’s a business opportunity for FMs
and it’s complicated. Theo Nicolaou of
SmartSec Solutions said: “In June,
we also saw a significant
increase in the number of
cycle racks installed
in our client sites
– up by 30 per
cent in some
instances.
However, there
are obstacles
to this from
a security
perspective.
Many of the
buildings we
support have
closed their shower
facilities because their risk
assessments require them to sterilise
or deep clean them between use and this
is seen as impractical. Therefore, people
cycling to work aren’t able to have showers
and this sometimes triggers unsavoury
behaviour born out of sheer frustration.”
Steve Brewer observed that people
just don’t like communal showers. Good end of route
facilities will always encourage an active route to work.
“In a multi-tenanted building you might have more
people using showers than in an average gym. We see
demand for dedicated facilities for each occupier – but
generally developers and architects don’t design this in.
It is a refurbishment project.”
“To help people stay safe and be confident about
taking an active route to work we need to know what
kind of journeys sta are making. If any employer, not
just FMs, can make a risk assessment for their people
it’s a big start,” says Dr Rachel Aldred, Professor of
Transport and Director of Westminster University’s
Active Travel Academy. “If organisations think through
all of the options then people can move about in a
low carbon, socially distanced manner but it needs
planning.
Mitie appear to be doing this, Jasmine Hudson
explains: “Since the lockdown, we’ve also held two
application windows for our Cycle to Work scheme, to
support our colleagues looking to get healthy, help the
planet and avoid public transport. We’ve tripled the
allowance to £3,000 so that everyone can get the bike
and kit they need to travel to work safely.”
It’s working too. Mitie saw a 57 per cent increase in
accepted applications for C2W in 2020 compared with
2019, even allowing for pushing back the window by a
couple of months, due to COVID-19.
This is good, but Rachel Aldred and other experts want
to see employers to think di erently. Dr Aldred and
Tom Bogdanowicz agree that not enough information
is shared about the potential for reaching work in
di erent ways. The information is out there, but it’s not
promoted. Likewise, employers could and should take
the opportunity to lobby local authorities about route
planning.
“We should all be responding to consultation about
installation of footpaths, cycle lanes or whatever is
being planned by councils to help create safer, more
sustainable and active routes to work. If it a ects sta
or end users of a workplace reaching their destination
then employers have a role to influence that planning
decision,” said Rachel Aldred.
No one is actually saying it loud and clear, but the
commute to work by car might be over. Depending on
where you live it is beginning to feel like a last resort.
However, with winter coming and infection rates on the
rise will that change – will people return to the car as a
default transport bubble?
What’s required is a more concerted e ort by FMs and
all employers (FM customers) to call for more support
for active travel from central and local Government
and investment in public transport. It’s clear that it’s
happening but we need to see more joined up thinking
to support people’s route to work, plus there’s a clear
requirement for di erent attitudes to FM transport
logistics. The virus isn’t going away. Low Tra ic
Neighbourhoods, restricted access to central urban
districts, limitations on service vehicles and freight – it is
all here to stay.
“What’s required is a more
concerted eff ort by FMs and all
employers (FM customers) to call for
more support for active travel from
central and local Government and
investment in public
transport.”
www.fmj.co.uk/world-green-building-council-celebrates-milestonein
net-zero-carbon-buildings-commitment
www.fmj.co.uk/covid-19-anxiety-changing-commuter-travel-habits
www.lcc.org.uk/
/world-green-building-council-celebrates-milestone-in-net-zero-carbon-buildings-commitment
/covid-19-anxiety-changing-commuter-travel-habits
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