What are biking and walking programs?
What are the benefits of biking and walking programs?
How ATP helps
How can I encourage employee participation?
Commuting by bicycle
Free print resources
Online resources
What are biking and walking programs?
Walking and biking are both healthy, environmentally friendly forms of commuting to work. Biking and walking programs involve employees either biking or walking all the way to their place of business, or combining biking and walking with another form of transit (such as Metrorail.)Employees may elect to bicycle full-time or part-time. Some people bike to work only on "casual days," while others plan ahead and take or wear business clothes.
Examples of biking and walking programs include:
- Adding bike racks and/or lockers if your building does not already have bicycle storage. For greater efficiency, racks and lockers may be placed in areas that can't be used for offices or vehicle parking. If racks or lockers can't be installed, allow employees to store bicycles in their offices during the workday.
- Offering parking "cash out" - an employee may give up an employer-paid parking space in exchange for the value of that space in taxable income which can be used for bicycle-commuting.
- Adding shower and changing facilities to your building, or request that it be done by your property manager. (As an alternative, provide discounted employee membership to a health club located close to your building.)
- Providing a commuting incentive program for those who carpool, bike, or walk to work.
What are the benefits of biking and walking programs?
A biking or walking commuting program can help with employee issues such as health care costs, high turnover rates, low morale, decreased productivity, absenteeism, and monthly parking costs. When employers support biking or walking to work, they provide a service that is highly valued by employees, cost-effective, beneficial for the environment, and important for the future success of their company.
Employees who exercise regularly have lower health care costs and less absenteeism.- The Centers for Disease Control reports that physical activity saves 5-12% in medical costs per year. Physically fit people are also absent an average of two fewer days per year than people who are not physically fit. Commuting by bicycle combines the need to travel to work with the desire for exercise.
- Employees who walk or bike to work arrive less stressed and more alert than those who drive alone. Happier employees tend to stay with their employers longer, reducing the high costs associated with losing and recruiting staff.
- Reducing the demand for parking (when employees bike to work) can help lower the cost of employer-paid parking. The cost of providing bicycle parking or storage facilities is also much lower than that for vehicle parking. The square footage necessary for one vehicle parking space can provide enough room to park 12 bicycles.
The cost to purchase and maintain spaces for 12 vehicles can total $70,000 per year; the cost to acquire and maintain space for 12 bicycles can total $12,000 per year.
How ATP helps:
ATP makes it easy and convenient for you to establish and administer biking and walking programs. Ways in which ATP can help include:
- Helping you organize a bike-to-work day
- Providing information on biking and walking programs and answering any questions
- Explaining biking and walking choices
- Helping you to design the best biking and walking program for your company's needs
- Sponsoring a workshop or seminar to explain biking and walking programs
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How can I encourage employee participation?
There are numerous ways you can get the word out and encourage employee participation in a biking and walking program, including:
- Appointing an employee knowledgeable about bicycling as Bike Coordinator for your work site
- Holding a bike-to-work day or bicycling class
- Stocking information about walking and bicycle commuting at your work site
- Providing bicycle racks and storage
- Providing lockers and showers
- Sending out e-mail notifications and reminders
- Including information packets with paychecks
- Including an article in your company newsletter
- Providing information on your company's intranet
- Including information in your new hire packets
Commuting by bicycle:
Employees who want to bike to transit have options. Bicycles are allowed on Metrorail, VRE (collapsible bicycles), Maryland MTA light rail, and subways, with restrictions. Some bus systems allow bikes to be carried on special racks. Most transit stations have secure bicycle-parking facilities, and many park-and-ride lots offer racks or lockers. A free Commuter Mentoring service of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) even helps people plan individual bicycle commuting routes.
Nearly 50% of Americans bicycle for recreation. Did you know that approximately 20,000 Washington-area
employees commute by
bicycle each day?
Commuting by bicycle can
lead to higher productivity
and reduced turnover.
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Free print resources
Arlington Transportation Partners offers several free print resources, as listed below, available in limited quantity, for individuals interested in biking to work.
Biking to Work in the Washington Area
- A comprehensive booklet, specially created as a practical, all-in-one guide for employers and employees. Contains detailed information for employers about how to set up a bicycle program (including facilities, marketing, financing, etc.) and much more including:
- Why you should support biking to work
- How to provide bike parking
- Funding for bike facilities
- Incentives for biking to work
- How to organize a bike-to-work day
- How to get started
- Safely riding in traffic
- Bicycle laws for the region
- Outfitting your bike
- Bikes and transit
An online version of this informative guide is now available from Commuter Connections.
- This is a detailed map of Arlington County's 36 miles of multi-use trails. It also includes information on connecting routes, Arlington County bicycle tours, safety, bridge crossings, and much more.
- A general guide to bicycling in Virginia; it lists tours, trails, resources, and more.
Online resources:
CommuterPage.com's Bicycling and Walking section has links to PDF versions of the Arlington County Bikeways Map and Arlington Bicycle Commuting Guides including Bicycle Commuting to the Ballston Area, Crystal City Area, or Rosslyn-Courthouse Area. It also provides news and information about biking and walking in the Washington, D.C. area, and links to other bicycling sites.
www.CommuterConnections.org. A regional commuting Web site with an online version of the Commuter Connections Bike-to-Work Guide.
www.waba.org. The Washington Area Bicyclist Association has information about regional bicycle advocacy, the free Bicycle Commuter Assistance Program, bicycle classes, resources, and more.
http://VirginiaDOT.org. The Web site of the Virginia Department of Transportation has information about bicycling in Virginia. E-mail: vabiking@VirginiaDOT.org.
Bicycle advocacy e-mail list. Stay up to date on important regional bicycle issues through e-mail notices to gather more information on public meetings, bicycle classes, proposed bike lanes, and more. To join the list, send an e-mail to Allen Muchnick at muchnick@CapAccess.org.
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