“On yer bike,” CEO yells to peers

UK bosses are failing to encourage staff to cycle to work as bike theft rates soar high, office space rental company MWB claims.

Despite the plethora of promises from companies across the UK to ‘go green’, very few have implemented measures that encourage green travel to work, according to new research from YouGov and MWB Business Exchange plc, a leading provider of flexible office space.

Only 11% of UK businesses provide secure bike areas for their employees, a simple solution that would enable and encourage employees to cycle to work whilst greatly reducing the UK’s carbon footprint.

What is encouraging is that a third (29%) of companies do provide showering facilities, which means employees who walk, run or cycle to work can shower when they arrive. However, with bike crime rising at an ever increasing rate, further onus should be placed on businesses to provide safe places for employees to park their bikes.

“The number of cyclists in London alone has increased by 83% since 2000, but bike crime has been increasing at the same rate as secure areas are few and far between,” commented John Spencer, CEO, MWB Business Exchange plc. “Showering facilities are provided by a third of companies, but we have to do more to encourage Britons to swap fossil power for peddle power.”

Spencer continued, “Providing the facilities that encourage cycling to work is such a simple step to help reduce the amount of CO2 UK businesses produce, and with all the positive media noise associated with green travel it is hugely disappointing that more companies are not yet embracing cycle to work schemes. MWB Business Exchange is now committed to increasing the shower and secure bike facilities at its offices around the UK, so Britons will have no excuse not to get on their bikes.”

The research was conducted by YouGov in May 2007 and involved 2196 respondents from across the UK.