Spring/Summer 2011
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on your regular rides. No problem! You can get them all together so that you’re ready to ride straightaway. Plus, the whole process is very straightforward for employers and employees alike. More and more employers now treat a tax-free bike scheme as a central plank of a broader bike-friendly policy. Apart from anything else, encouraging employees
here, which is very useful.” Even if your workplace doesn’t have that level of facilities, you can encourage your employer to support cycling to work in other ways. The RD&E, like lots of other employers, runs a ‘buddy scheme’ where an existing bike commuter meets up with someone who is just starting in order to give them some support and perhaps
to ride to work results in a healthier workforce and that means fewer days taken off sick, so it makes sense to provide good bike facilities from a purely financial point of view. If your employer has a scheme set up, they might be open to the idea of taking things up to the next level, like the RD&E have. “We have numerous bike racks all round the site, and there are two cycle shelters where you have to use your staff badge to get in, and they work well,” says John, who commutes by bike himself. “And because it’s a clinical environment, quite a few areas have lockers, changing rooms and showers. I cycle 10 miles to work and can have a shower when I get
“We run a bike day in spring or early summer where a couple of the bigger local shops come along, and they’re happy to bring in some equipment,” show them some new routes. Exeter is one of England’s flagship Cycling Towns that has been awarded funding specifically for developing bike routes and facilities, so there’s a whole network of traffic-free paths for cyclists to use. If someone has previously driven to work, they might not know the local bike paths or useful cut-throughs, and a buddy
scheme costs nothing to organise. “We run a bike day in spring or early summer where a couple of the bigger local shops come along, and they’re happy to bring in some equipment,” says John. “They’ll normally provide prizes for a draw. “We have Doctor Bike on site so people can bring along their bikes and have them fixed, and I’ll be there to explain the benefits of the salary sacrifice scheme and the savings you can make if you get a new bike through it. We publicise the day in advance and it has proved very popular in the past.” “We’re also trying to organise a discount card for the local bike shops, so if someone takes in a bike they’ve got through the scheme they can save some money. We’re still working on that one!” All in all, the tax-free bike scheme at RD&E has been a triumph. The employer benefits from a fitter, healthier workforce. The employees are happy: they’re riding around on shiny new bikes. Plus, there’s a little less traffic on the roads, a bit less pollution in the air… It all helps. There really isn’t a downside here. “It has been a big success,” says John. “We reached the take-up level we wanted to achieve, passed it, and we’ve kept that momentum for three years with 200-250 people taking advantage of the scheme each year. That’s good going.”