Tag Archives: Cycle to Work

Cycle to work more successful with high-profile support

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London’s cycle to work scheme has been all the more successful thanks to the high-profile support of London mayor Boris Johnson.

According to health and wellbeing charity Life Cycle UK, the mayor has given the scheme far more gravitas thanks to his unwavering commitment to it.

The organisation’s director Poppy Brett said: “Having the backing of someone as high profile as Boris [Johnson] is going to mean that such a scheme has even greater impact.”

She added that there are a huge number of benefits associated with cycle to work initiatives, but for businesses the most important is reduced levels of sick leave.

Ms Brett noted that people who exercise regularly take less time off work because they are fitter.

Her comments follow a study published by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) which showed that cycling contributes £3 billion to the UK economy.

The LSE noted that almost 25 per cent of the UK population are now cyclists.

Cycle-to-work schemes provide ”ideal exercise”

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People who are not as active as they should be may consider taking up a cycle-to-work initiative, after they were hailed as an ideal way for a person to get their daily quota of exercise.

Director of Life Cycle UK Poppy Brett said a short ride – such as the commute to work – can provide a “gentle workout” for the body and mind.

Employees who adopt the salary sacrifice schemes will not only feel the physical benefits that cycling provides, but Ms Brett claimed riding a bike to work can help alleviate feelings of stress and depression, as well as helping with sleeping disorders.

“Other benefits are not being squashed like a sardine into a metal box on the way to work,” she added.

Ms Brett also highlighted the positive environmental aspects of adopting pedal power.

A new report released by the London School of Economics and Political Science showed that cycling contributes nearly £3 billion to the UK economy.

Shifting attitudes could benefit cycle-to-work schemes

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Cycle-to-work schemes offered as part of company salary sacrifice initiatives could be increasing in popularity.

A new study conducted by the London School of Economics has suggested that general uptake of bicycles across the UK has grown sharply in recent years.

The 24-page report – which was commissioned by Sky and British Cycling – also indicated that the number of people using pedal power to get around is likely to grow further in the future.

Indeed, author Dr Alexander Grous said cycling in Britain has “undergone a renaissance” in the past five years.

“Structural, economic, social and health factors have caused a ‘shift in the sand’ in the UK, spurring an expansion in the cycling market,” he added.

Earlier this month, chair of the Bicycle Helmet Initiative Trust Angela Lee said it is important that those who do take part in cycle-to-work initiatives wear sufficient headgear.

She said helmets help absorb the impact of falls and are a “proven piece of safety equipment”.

Londoners urged to cycle to work during Olympics

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The government will be hoping that 2012 heralds a sharp increase in the uptake of cycle-to-work schemes, as it is expecting travel chaos in London.

Transport minister Norman Baker is anticipating waves of new visitors to the city for the Olympic Games and he is hoping that regular commuters will help alleviate some of the predicted congestion.

As well as calling on people to “oil the creaking bike” next August, Mr Baker has also encouraged firms to offer flexible benefits to staff in the form of remote working arrangements.

The UK has invested around £6.5 billion into its transport infrastructure in the build up to the high profile event, but the minister still said all businesses will have to play their part to help the Games run smoothly.

“As we edge ever closer to the Olympics, hand-in-hand with new investment must go new solutions,” he commented.

A recent study by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry showed 44 per cent of the city’s businesses are concerned about travel disruptions caused by the Olympics.

”No need for helmets” for those who cycle to work

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A large proportion of people who opt to cycle to work believe that wearing a helmet should not be compulsory.

Research conducted by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) has found that out of nearly 1,500 survey respondents, 68 per cent felt it unnecessary to change the law to force bikers to wear head gear.

According to some of the study subjects, the government should be looking to use a carrot rather than a stick in trying to get more people to explore the perks of using pedal power.

Steven Charkin took part in the survey and he believes that supposed evidence of helmets cutting down on injury rates is inconclusive.

“Making helmet wearing compulsory gives out the message that cycling is a dangerous activity, which it is not,” he remarked.

In response to the BMJ results, chief executive officer of the Bicycle Helmet Initiative Trust Angela Lee said the poll should be taken with “extreme caution” and that children in particular should be forced to wear protective headwear.

Atos Origin achieves 60% voluntary benefits take up

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Since Atos Origin launched a voluntary benefits scheme on 1 April, it has seen a 60% take-up among its 6,500 UK employees.

The information technology firm also revamped its flexible benefits plan, adding an online portal and moving some of its offerings over to the voluntary benefits scheme.

The firm decided to change the way its flex scheme operated while rolling out a voluntary benefits scheme, following an employee engagement exercise in 2010, which included focus groups, targeted telephone interviews and an onsite mailbox to collect feedback.

Cheryl Allen, HR business leader for reward and recognition at Atos Origin, said: “We have had a flexible benefits scheme in place for nearly 10 years but nothing much had been changed. We had not done any feedback or analysis of whether it suited our employees.”

The focus groups found the lengthy printed brochure that traditionally went out to employees was not user-friendly or interactive, so it was replaced with an online brochure.

The voluntary benefits scheme, which is provided by You at Work, includes cash-back discounts, reloadable gift cards and privileged access sales.

Childcare vouchers and bikes for work were transfered from flex to the voluntary benefits scheme. The firm also added its long-service awards to the portal on 1 July.

The flex scheme also includes travel insurance, holiday purchase, critical illness cover, extending private healthcare for employees’ families, a wine club and health screenings.

The communications programme included an employee name-the-portal competition, onsite demonstrations and a countdown to the launch. Allen added: “We did a huge communications programme to launch it and educate staff, and make sure they were aware it was based on their feedback.”

Are more people opting to cycle to work?

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More people across the UK may be choosing to cycle to work, as Halfords’ latest sales figures pointed towards a significant rise in bike purchases.

Statistics for the second quarter of 2011 have indicated an 11.5 per cent improvement in bicycle uptake compared to the preceding three months.

However, it was not all good news for the chain, as its car parts and vehicle maintenance sectors declined.

Car enhancement was down by ten per cent, as rising fuel costs caused many people to ditch their motors.

Chief executive officer at the firm David Wild said the market was “challenging”, but he claimed to be pleased by the sales figures for bikes.

A lot of companies across the UK offer cycle-to-work initiatives through salary sacrifice schemes and the current high value of petrol may see such perks become increasingly popular.

Research conducted recently by Sainsbury’s Car Insurance showed the excessive cost of driving has caused 1.3 million motorists to take their cars off the road in the past 12 months.

Could cycle-to-work schemes combat anxiety?

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Cycle-to-work schemes offered as part of company employee benefits packages may be playing a role in reducing staff anxiety.

According to Anne Finnemore – who set up hypnotherapy and stress management service provider Getting You There – exercise is good for “lifting the mood”.

She has stated that physical exertion causes the brain to release endorphins, which are “feel good chemicals”.

The ride into work could also give an employee a sense of achievement, which may boost their motivation levels for the rest of the day.

“Recent research shows that if your anxiety sensitivity is high you’ll benefit from high levels of physical activity,” she commented.

The current guideline minimum amount of exercise a person should undertake is 30 minutes, three times a week.

According to researchers at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas and University of Vermont in Burlington, a person who suffers from panic-related disorders can battle their condition by engaging in regular physical activity.

Cumbria residents urged to cycle to work

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A bike racer and coach has called on people in his home county of Cumbria to cycle to work.

Neil Withington is keen to see more locals get excited about the pastime and has set up a venture called time2bike. He hopes that many will eventually take the sport up seriously.

He told the News & Star that this part of the world is ideal for those who want to utilise their bikes in their spare time, as the Lake District has a raft of stunning landscape and terrains on which to test out the capabilities of a cycle.

“It’s great for your general health and wellbeing and getting out into the countryside,” he told the publication.

“The key is enjoying it and making it fun.”

Slightly further south, companies in Manchester may be keen to add cycle-to-work provisions to employee benefits schemes, after the city received £4.9 million of government funding aimed at improving biking facilities.

Carlsberg employees take up flexible benefits

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Workers at alcoholic beverage manufacturer Carlsberg have been taking up the firm’s flexible benefits offerings.

The company – which has recently added discounted gym membership to its list of perks – has seen uptake increase by nine per cent this year, Employee Benefits magazine reports.

Following the enrolment period in May 2011, 31 per cent of staff were discovered to have signed up to the scheme, compared with 22 per cent during the same period in 2010.

While private medical insurance and other health related perks were embraced, bosses at the corporation suggested that cycle-to-work initiatives and childcare vouchers were among the most popular packages.

“We have increased participation year-on-year for the past three years,” reward manager Julian Daley told the publication.

Last week, the same news provider reported how adidas had upped its own selection of flexible benefits by offering staff travel insurance, dental care and critical illness cover, which were also made available to the families of employees.