HSBC — Why We Cycle
Andy Wrigley:
We encourage staff to cycle to work more often in several ways. Firstly we have focussed on the facilities and making it as simple and accommodating as possible to cycle to work. This has included having proper changing, showering and storage facilities. One of the most popular initiatives has been the provision of dedicated lockers for cyclists to store their clothes and toiletries. This avoids the need for people to have to carry everything with them every day. Drying rooms for towels and wet kit have been popular too.
In addition to this we have tried hard to create a cycling community and provide cyclists with an identity as a group. This can be as simple as identifying who your cyclists are, sharing information with them and allowing them to communicate and collaborate with each other.
There have been so many benefits from this, from basic information sharing between members right through to lobbying the company for changes and new investment. The power of social networks like this is also a strong source of motivation and advice for the group. People can share their routes, find help with problems or even find someone else to cycle in with.
Having a cycle champion or team of champions has been one of the most important factors in driving cycling adoption. The presence of a central ‘champion’ allows the views of the cyclist to be formally represented as well as creating a more effective way of sharing information and coordinating activities. Without this role it would be very hard to pull together as a community. As well as this their role in promoting cycling to others is huge. The best way to get someone cycling is for them to speak to someone who is passionate about cycling. The more passionate champions you have talking to people, the more cyclists you will get.
There are roughly 2,000 HSBC staff in our new Grosvenor House office in Sheffield. We currently have a list of just under 200 people who have joined the cycling community and identify as a cyclist in some form. On a daily basis we usually see between 60 and 100 bikes in our cycle store and we have allocated out 150 cycling lockers.
HSBC strongly believes in the power of cycling to make the world a better place. From myriad health benefits for the individual to environmental benefits for the planet. We’ve also shown that for most of our staff cycling is also a cheaper and quicker form of commuting into the city.
Increasing the number of cyclists in Sheffield would reduce rush hour traffic, improve the air quality, and also make the roads safer for existing cyclists and help to make the case for better cycling infrastructure, which many parts of the city sorely lack.