e h t l l i w W h ere ke you? ir de ta TALLAHASSEE - LEON COUNTY Employer Challenge Planning Manual www.commuterservices.org 2014 Tallahassee-Leon County Bike Week -- EMPLOYER CHALLENGE PLANNING MANUAL pg.
TALLAHASSEE - LEON COUNTY is sponsored and/or supported by the following organizations. COMMUTER SERVICES of north florida 888-454-RIDE / www.commuterservices.org TABLE of CONTENTS What is the Bike Week Employer Challenge The Benefits of Cycling 1 2 What You Can Do... 3 Implementation Schedule 6 Available Resources & Assistance 7
What is the Bike Week Employer Challenge? Work commutes make up the bulk of trips generated in the U.S. every day. Unfortunately, most of those trips are taken by personal automobiles and driven by one person which contributes to traffic congestion, increased parking demand, unnecessary expense, and the burning of fuel instead of calories. Employers play a large role in how their employees get to and from work, and employer support and facilitation of commute alternatives such as carpooling, public transit, walking, biking, and telework can go a long way toward improving employee morale and productivity. Friday, May 9 has been designated as Bike to Work Day in Leon County, and the Bike Week Employer Challenge is a chance for employers to support bicycle commuting among their employees. Employers who participate in the Bike to Work Day Employer Challenge will be recognized at the Celebrate Cycling Bike Festival on Saturday, May 10, at Cascades Park. The challenge is simple. Tallahassee area employers are being asked to promote and facilitate Bike Week activities and bicycle commuting in general. Participating employers will be recognized at the Celebrate Cycling Bike Festival on Saturday, May 10. This packet has been developed to assist area employers in promoting Bike Week and includes a variety of suggested activities that employers can undertake. Employers may choose to simply distribute posters throughout the worksite, but employers who go above and beyond the basics will receive special recognition. If you are interested in participating, please contact Pat Maurer at Commuter Services of North Florida at pmaurer@business.fsu.edu or at 1-888-454-RIDE(7433). 1
The Benefits of Cycling Bicycle commuting and commute alternatives in general offer a host of benefits to you and your employees. Here is just a sample of the rewards bicycle commuting can provide. Better Health More than 60% of Americans are overweight or obese, and rates of obesity-related diseases such as diabetes are soaring. Riding your bike to work eliminates the need to go to the gym, and riding just 3 hours a week can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by half (Source: League of American Bicyclists). And remember, healthy employees are more productive employees. More Money The average annual cost of owning and operating an automobile is $6500 or more depending on where you live and how much you drive (Source: AAA). The cost of riding and maintaining a bicycle is about $300 a year. That s a pretty significant savings. Cleaner Air Motorized vehicles account for approximately 70% of the carbon monoxide released into the air. Relatively speaking, riding a bike produces zero airborne pollutants, resulting in cleaner air (Source: League of American Bicyclists). Reduced Parking Demands -- The average cost to construct a surface parking space in the U.S. is approximately $4000, excluding maintenance. Spaces in a parking garage average $15,000 each. By comparison, bike parking costs less than $300/space. (Source: Best Workplaces for Commuters). These are just a few of the benefits afforded by bicycle commuting. There is also the benefit of reduced traffic congestion, and bicycle commuters can also receive tax deductible employer-sponsored financial incentives from the federal government. To learn more about these and other benefits, visit www.commuterservices.org or www.bestworkplaces.org. 2
What You Can Do... There are a variety of actions Tallahassee employers can take to promote bicycle commuting before, during and after Bike Week. Here are some suggested activities that require minimum planning and implementation, but they can pay off by increasing employee morale and engagement while improving workplace wellness. Choose one or more of the suggested activities that you would like to undertake, and Commuter Services of North Florida staff can assist you in their implementation. If you have ideas for other activities, we can work with you to make it happen. Designate An On-Site Contact Person The first thing you can do to promote Bike Week or commute alternatives in general is to designate an on-site contact person. This individual(s) can work cooperatively with Commuter Services and other regional transportation agencies in the planning and execution of Bike Week activities now and into the future. The time commitment required of this individual is extremely minimal. We suggest recruiting this individual from existing Human Resources personnel or someone assigned to your Workplace Wellness or Green teams. Promote Bike Week & Bike to Work Day Activities Once a point of contact has been established, start promoting Bike Week activities by distributing information to your employees. This packet contains numerous materials that can be posted throughout your worksite. We can even work with you to customize these materials to promote site-specific events. Materials are also available for download at www. commuterservices.org. Other effective ways of getting the message out are: E-mail Company newsletters Memos (samples included in this packet) Lunch and Learn speaker Intra-office media lobby display cont.> 3
Host a Brown Bag Lunch on Bicycle Safety One of the key obstacles to individuals who would like to bike to work is concern about safety. To address this problem, the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) has developed a 45 minute, interactive presentation on bicycle commuting safety. Commuter Services and its partners can schedule this presentation for your employees. This is a FREE presentation given by a certified LAB instructor. Simply contact us at 1-888-454-RIDE or pmaurer@business.fsu. edu to schedule a presentation at your work site. Implement a Worksite Bike Buddy Program Bike Buddy programs connect new cyclists with experienced riders who can share not only the trip but information on safety, routing, and other travel tips. Having a knowledgeable partner along gives new riders the confidence they need to feel safe on the road. Employers can facilitate a Bike Buddy program by displaying sign-up posters (sample included). New cyclists can also use Commuter Services online Bike Buddy matching system. It s free and there is no obligation. Simply visit www.commuterservices. org and register with Commuter Services EZRide program. Once registered, commuters can search for cyclists with whom they can share the ride. They can also search for carpool partners and get information about available transit service. Host a Breakfast or Other Special Event Rewards and recognition demonstrate your support of commute alternatives. On Bike to Work Day, recognize those employees who traveled by bike by hosting an on-site breakfast or lunch. Also consider other activities that encourage participation in Bike to Work Day activities. This can include a bike roadeo or a competition to see who logs the most miles by bike during Bike Week. Commuter Services can help you develop site-specific programs, and we can provide you with incentive items and prizes to encourage participation. cont.> 4
Make Bike Week & Bike to Work Day Part of Workplace Wellness Many employers throughout Tallahassee have workplace wellness programs to promote good health among their employees. This systematically improves employee productivity and can help reduce health insurance costs to you and your employees. Bike Week is a great tie-in to such programs and can be easily incorporated into existing efforts using the materials provided in this packet. Track your Employees Trips If you want to know how your efforts pay off, encourage your employees to track their trips using Commuter Services free online EZTrack software. This service allows your employees to track their trips, mode, and distance, and the system automatically calculates the pollution reductions and cost savings. * * * Doing one or more of these activities will go a long way in encouraging bicycle commuting throughout the Tallahassee region. And while you may be taking the lead, numerous resources exist to help you implement these and other sustainable transportation practices at your worksite. Simply contact Commuter Services of North Florida and schedule a meeting. 5
Suggested Implementation Schedule In order to maximize excitement for Bike Week activities, here is a recommended timeline for distributing information about scheduled events. Two Weeks Out -- April 21-25 Get the word out! For maximum effect, send out an initial notice to employees via e-mail or other intra-office media. Then sent out small reminders every other day. These notices can include brief facts about bicycle commuting or other sustainable transportation practices. Place posters and other print materials at various high-traffic locations throughout the worksite and be sure to keep them stocked. Help employees connect by creating a bulletin board space for a bike buddy sign-up so that novices can connect with more experienced riders, borrow or lend extra bikes, etc. Begin promoting site-specific events like breakfasts, lunch and learn programs, etc. One Week Out -- April 28 - May 2 Send out a final reminder to employees about Bike Week and associated activities. A complete list of city-wide Bike Week activities will be posted and updated on www. commuterservices.org. After Bike Week Keep the enthusiasm sparked by Bike Week going. Send your employees a follow-up memo recognizing their accomplishments during Bike Week. Use that momentum to continue to promote bicycle commuting and other commute alternatives throughout the year. We can provide you with promotional materials and schedule other lunch and learn programs for your employees. 6
Available Assistance You do not have to go it alone when implementing a Bike to Work event at your worksite. Numerous organizations are available to assist you with implementing a bike-to-work activity or other trip reduction programs. Organizations and resources available to you during Bike Week are: COMMUTER SERVICES of north florida 888-454-RIDE / www.commuterservices.org Commuter Services is this region s commuter assistance program and works with employers and commuters to identify and utilize commute alternatives. Commuter Services staff can help employers implement a bicycle commuting program by bringing together a variety of resources, including its FREE Emergency Ride Home Program. For more information, please visit www.commuteservices. org or call 1-888-454-RIDE. The Capital Region Transportation Planning Agency (CRTPA) is the region s transportation planning agency. Visit their website at www. crtpa.org for more information about regional bicycling initiatives. Starmetro s Bike on Bus program allows cyclists to transport their bike via public transit, creating a vital link between home and work. Visit www.talgov.com and click Transportation for routes and schedule information and more. The City of Tallahassee and Leon County have partnered with the Tallahassee-Leon County Planning Department to create Bike Tallahassee (www.biketallahassee.com) to encourage bicycle travel in our community. The site offers safety tips and interactive maps of available bike lanes and trails throughout Leon County. The site also has lists of local cycling clubs which you might consider joining. Bike-Eat-Shop-Tallahassee, or B.E.S.T., is a local initiative that rewards bicycle use. An annual $5 membership provides discounts at numerous local merchants when you present your B.E.S.T. member card. For more information, visit www.bike-eat-shoptallahassee.com. The League of American Bicyclists is the nation s premiere advocacy group for cycling. They developed the Cycle Savvy Bike Workshop which will be offered during Bike Week and Cycle Savvy Lite -- a 45 minute lunch-and-learn program available to employment sites year-round. 7