Workplaces are not ready for rise in cycling, experts say
Increasing numbers of people in the West Midlands are set to take to two wheels to get to their workplace, but many offices and industrial units simply can't or won't provide storage space, a health and safety consultancy says.
Protecting.co.uk is warning that many businesses are not prepared for the majority of workers to arrive by bike.
Spokesman Mark Hall said: “I’ve definitely noticed loads more people cycling on the way to work, everyone is kitted out like the next Lance Armstrong, but I’ve also noticed bikes chained to every lamppost, street sign, and metal fence possible. It looks like the centre of Amsterdam everywhere you look.”
Bike shops have been reporting increased sales, and some have even completely sold out as lockdown measures ease and people splash the cash in order to avoid using packed out public transport.
Mr Hall added: “City centre businesses have zero capacity for bike storage, but these are the places that are more likely to attract cyclists keen to avoid busy roads and overflowing public transport.
“Bosses need to do more to encourage people to cycle to work, and not just during this pandemic because it has a positive impact on the environment in the long term too.”
Protecting.co.uk has heard from several business owners who have been scrambling to convert car parking spaces into secure bike storage, by installing bike racks and bike sheds.
