Businesses and Bicycles

"Aaron DeVore" wrote in
oups.com:

I'm in the process of writing a research essay on how businesses (as
well as government agencies) in the United States are encouraging the
use of bicycles. This would include things like building bike ways,
providing lockers and shower facilities at work, giving incentives to
employees and customers, creating a significant amount of parking
space for bikes, and reducing the dangers of riding a bicycle.

The other important part of the paper will by *why* these institutions
are encouraging bike use. For health insurance companies, the answer
is obvious: exercise reduces many health problems, including obesity.
For areas of cities that have very limited space (for instance,
downtown areas), the answer is also obvious: parking space takes up
valuable land and costs money to build.

I've been able to find some cases around the Internet and by talking
to people in my own metropolian area (Portland), but hearing about
other instances - especially from those who directly benefit from them
- is valuable as well.

Thank you,
Aaron DeVore


You might want to try to contact Amgen in Thousand Oaks, CA.
My company sent me there a year ago for a project startup and I found
they were very bicycle friendly. This is a large campus enviroment with
probably 80 to 100 buildings on about 100 acres. There are bicycle racks
outside every building and most even have company provided bicycles
parked in them for the employees who do not bring their own bikes to use
on the campus. There is a company sponsored club and I know Amgen
sponsors at least one race from San Francisco to LA and one supported
tour along a similar route as fundrasers.

See:
http://www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/

and
http://www.californiacoastclassic.org/

and
http://www.velogen.org/

Rich

On Wed, 03 May 2006 20:18:52 -0400, Don Wiss
wrote:

On Wed, 03 May 2006, Werehatrack wrote:

The largest insurance firm in this area is one of the places where I
have never seen an employee cycling to work, and I pass by frequently
during the morning rush hour. There are usually cyclists riding down
the streets past it, some of whom are familiar faces to me and/or my
daughter, but never have I seen anyone on two wheels entering the
parking garage or approaching the entrances to the building. They are
clearly *not* encouraging or facilitating cycling to work. (This
employer is also not known as a place that one would actively seek to
be employed, if in possession of full knowledge of the nature of the
workplace; the working conditions are reportedly far less than
congenial.)

Is that before or after AIG bought them? AIG is well known for their
cheapness.

AFAIK, American General and AIG have been intertwined for a long time.

I know that I see lots of grim faces headed into that parking garage.
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On Thu, 04 May 2006, Werehatrack wrote:

On Wed, 03 May 2006 20:18:52 -0400, Don Wiss wrote:

On Wed, 03 May 2006, Werehatrack wrote:

The largest insurance firm in this area is one of the places where I
have never seen an employee cycling to work, and I pass by frequently
during the morning rush hour. There are usually cyclists riding down
the streets past it, some of whom are familiar faces to me and/or my
daughter, but never have I seen anyone on two wheels entering the
parking garage or approaching the entrances to the building. They are
clearly *not* encouraging or facilitating cycling to work. (This
employer is also not known as a place that one would actively seek to
be employed, if in possession of full knowledge of the nature of the
workplace; the working conditions are reportedly far less than
congenial.)

Is that before or after AIG bought them? AIG is well known for their
cheapness.

AFAIK, American General and AIG have been intertwined for a long time.

I know that I see lots of grim faces headed into that parking garage.

AIG bought American General less than five years ago. I have no doubt that
it was much more congenial before that.

Don www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

In article .com,
"Aaron DeVore" writes:
I'm in the process of writing a research essay on how businesses (as
well as government agencies) in the United States are encouraging the
use of bicycles. This would include things like building bike ways,
providing lockers and shower facilities at work, giving incentives to
employees and customers, creating a significant amount of parking space
for bikes, and reducing the dangers of riding a bicycle.

The other important part of the paper will by *why* these institutions
are encouraging bike use. For health insurance companies, the answer is
obvious: exercise reduces many health problems, including obesity. For
areas of cities that have very limited space (for instance, downtown
areas), the answer is also obvious: parking space takes up valuable
land and costs money to build.

I've been able to find some cases around the Internet and by talking to
people in my own metropolian area (Portland), but hearing about other
instances - especially from those who directly benefit from them - is
valuable as well.

I'm not in the United States, but here in Vancouver, BC, Canada, a
number of businesses participate in our "Kyoto Discount Program":
http://www.geocities.com/kyotodiscounts/

Just show up on yer bike and get a price break.

Anyway, it's an example of how cycling can be promoted by businesses
in customer-oriented ways. Businesses accommodating cycling staff &
employees is good; acknowledging the cycling clientele is good, too.


cheers,
Tom

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