THE GOODS : Pedal Pushers : By creating a bike-friendly environment, one company lowered the number of car commutes and turned employees into ...
Every workday for 4 1/2 years, Jeff Hogue has ridden his bicycle in highway bike lanes, picturesque mountains in the distance. Leaving home at 6 a.m. and pedaling comfortably, he travels four miles in 15 minutes to the corporate offices of Fleetwood Enterprises, recently named the most bike-friendly business in the nation by Bicycling magazine.
After arriving at headquarters of the mobile home and recreational vehicle builder, Hogue washes, changes into a clean shirt and heads for his office. The bike ride “is a great relaxing feeling,” says Hogue, who designs building additions for the company’s plants. “You feel ready to go to work.
“I think people should try it. It’s great exercise. They will be able to experience the elements. They’ll be able to see the city, and they could save a little cash.”
These benefits of cycling are obvious to Fleetwood employees. About 10% of the 650 workers commute to work at least several times a week by bicycle, and two-wheelers can be found parked in offices, lobbies and test labs.
Bicycles seem to be everywhere because the Fortune 500 company’s wide-ranging “Mud, Sweat & Gears” program encourages pedal power. This program allows employees to borrow bikes from a company fleet and to buy them at reduced rates. Borrowers who ride three days a week receive safety packages that include a helmet, reflective vest and headlamp. The company also provides bike and clothing lockers, showers and a fitness center.
Free bike repairs are available, and the company forgives tardiness caused by flat tires or other bike problems.
Fleetwood cozied up to bicycles after the directive in the late 1980s by the South Coast Air Quality Management District to provide incentives for employees to commute less by car.
“That was our main reason for starting Mud, Sweat & Gears,” says Roberta Holden, who established the program after arriving at Fleetwood as head of corporate employee transportation in 1989. “There were some side benefits, but I would not say that they were an original reason for implementing the program.”
Holden began the transition from gasoline power to muscle power by surveying employees. The results showed substantial interest in cycling and that 25% of workers lived within five miles of headquarters.
To make biking as attractive as possible, Holden organized a committee of workers to identify barriers.
“People were concerned about the extra time it would take to bicycle to work,” Holden says. “Not only would travel take longer, but they would have to get up a little earlier and allow time at work to shower and freshen up for the day. People arrive hot and sweaty during summer.
“Perhaps one of the biggest obstacles was that people needed to feel secure about where they stored their bicycles. A simple, relatively inexpensive bike rack was not going to meet their needs. Our people required something which completely enclosed their bicycle and protected it from theft and the elements.
“Another barrier was that although people were interested, they perhaps did not have a bike, and were reluctant to go out and purchase one without knowing if it would work for them.
“Safety was another factor. They were unsure how to handle safety riding in traffic, and how to outfit themselves so they were reasonably secure.
“Finally, there was the question of what happens if the bike breaks down. I’m on my way to work and I get a flat tire. I become stranded. I’m late and my boss gets upset with me.”
*
The barriers were overcome, Holden says, when the company solved these problems. Fleetwood purchased a fleet of loaner bicycles and used surplus materials to build individual bike lockers. It expanded the locker room in the fitness center.
Four workers chipped in by keeping bike tools at work and doing repairs in their offices. When the offices got “cluttered with tools, gadgets and gizmos,” the company built a small repair area.
The innovations have been so successful, Holden says, that six other Riverside businesses have adopted the program and many others around the nation have asked how it works.
The Fleetwood program has made a difference, Holden says, by reducing car commutes and auto emissions and by making many bike riders healthier.
Yet the 10% ridership level is probably the maximum for the program, and only minor changes are planned for the future, Holden says. “We’ve done everything we possibly can do to encourage bicycling. I don’t think there’s anything left to try.”
(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)
The Premier Spokes People
Here are the 10 most bicycle-friendly companies in the nation, according to Bicycling magazine. Companies that encourage bicycle commuting provide such amenities as secure bike lockers, showers and safety equipment.
1. Fleetwood Enterprises, Riverside. Motor home and RV builder.
2. Tandem Computers, Cupertino, Calif.
3. National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colo.
4. Silicon Graphics, Mountain View, Calif. Computer company.
5. Walker, Richer & Gunn Inc., Seattle. Computer software company.
6. University of California, Davis.
7. Honeywell Satellite System Operations, Glendale, Ariz. Makes hardware and software for space flight.
8. Nike, Beaverton, Ore. Athletic shoe and sportswear company.
9. Sun Microsystems, Palo Alto, Calif. Computer and software company.
10. REI, Seattle. Outdoor retail and mail-order company.
