Last September during the
monthlong
, 11,118 cyclists in Oregon and southwest Washington rode 1,244,718 miles to work. That's five times to the moon. When they got to work, some riders found secure, indoor bike parking. Others found showers, personal lockers and loaner tools. Some even found cash.
Employers are coming up with creative ways to encourage bike commuting -- a healthier worker is a cheaper worker -- by making it as convenient as possible. Physical resources are a start, but some companies go further with financial incentives, including cash, free Tri-Met passes, free bike tuneups and/or free cab rides in case of a family emergency.
Some businesses even try to create community with monthly lunchtime picnic rides and in-house websites that cover bike safety, resources, security tips and more.
Europe can still outdo us with incentives -- how about an extra week of vacation for bike commuters, or a new bike every other year? -- but here are five local businesses leading the way to better bike commuting.
Bonneville Power Administration, Lloyd District
Bike commuters get everything but a red carpet when they arrive at work in the Lloyd District in Northeast Portland: Coast down a ramp into the parking garage, through gaps in the speed bumps -- created just for them -- and straight into a bike storage area. None of those tire-squealing parking-garage turns that can be slippery on wet days.
Lock your bike, check the bulletin board for bike-related information and head up one level where you can hang your towel and wet gear in the "Bicyclist Gear Room." Then hit the shower -- six for men, eight for women.
"It takes us longer," quips Katie Pruder-Scruggs, a company spokeswoman.
If your day entails working offsite, borrow a loaner bike if you didn't ride that day. On the way home, make quick repairs with a bike stand, a patch kit for flats and a set of loaner tools.
Of BPA's 1,400 employees in the Lloyd District building, about 150 ride fairly consistently. Sixty to 70 ride year-round.
Patrick Schmidt, 27, has commuted by bike for a month, ever since he landed a job at BPA's Vancouver office. He bought a bike Aug. 15 and started commuting six miles to his electrical engineering job the next day. He leaves the house at 5:30 a.m. five days a week.
His assessment so far: It's harder than he expected, his family laughs at him, but he's hanging in there.
"The worst is leaving the house in the dark and cold," he says. "It's kind of dreadful. I'm thinking, oh my goodness, I just rolled out of bed and now I have to go outside in the cold."
But Schmidt is staying with it because his wife needs their only car. "It's a lot easier when you don't have a choice."
His advice to others thinking of commuting: "Do it if you can -- it's worth it."
, inner Southeast Portland
As you might expect from a business that designs bike and pedestrian programs for cities around the world, most of Alta's 32 Portland employees bike to work. Amenities include a secure bike room at ground level, shower, drying racks, washer and dryer -- the dryer gets a lot of use in winter -- a bike pump and loaner bikes, including a cargo bike and two folding bikes for projects out of town. When five employees recently worked in Eugene, they took two folding bikes to get around town. Three more loaner bikes are for clients who visit Portland.
Incentives to ride include $50 a month toward the cost of physical activities such as ski passes, race entry fees or dance classes. Alta also pays for one free bike tuneup a year.
"We don't have a lot of incentives," says Jessica Roberts, programs manager. "People work here because they're pretty passionate about the subject."
EasyStreet, Beaverton
Eight employees out of 40 at this Internet services firm ride in summer, and four ride year-round, including John Beaston, 61, who's commuted by bike for 25 years. For the past seven of those, he's ridden 30 miles round trip from North Portland to Beaverton. Besides a locker room, shower, storage and bike equipment such as a stand and tools, a heated towel rack gets lots of use.
But what stands out is cold, hard cash. Employees can make $1 a day when they or their families do one of four things: walk or bike to EasyStreet; bike or walk an errand normally using a car; walk or bike to school; engage in an outdoor aerobic activity for at least 15 minutes.
Potentially, an EasyStreet family could make $4 a day and a maximum of $50 a month.
"It's just an idea to encourage people to be active, to get out of their cars," says Beaston, who estimates 25 percent of families take part in the plan. "It's had a pretty good impact. The kids really got into it."
One generous employee pays for the dollar-a-day program, whose costs could reach a maximum of $2,000 a month. If it's successful, the company will pick it up.
EasyStreet also offers free cab rides to cyclists with family emergencies.
Beaston, who recently rode the entire Oregon coast with some buddies, commutes because "it's fun, it's my gym membership -- I don't need to belong to a gym -- and you're outdoors for that time. You get to see the full spectrum of the community, and it's cheaper."
Over his 25 years of commuting, Beaston has mellowed, he says. "I've gone from being a Lycra rider to wearing regular street clothes. I've learned to ride at a pace where it's easy to take your time. It's a beautiful commute, along the river, through a parklike setting. I'm a lot older now. I took my bike computer off 10 years ago -- didn't need to know how fast I was going. Speed has become less important. I've integrated it into my life -- shopping, running errands."
Lessons learned? "That I need to do something active every day. If I go more than a couple days, I'll get real grumpy."
Wallis Engineering, Vancouver
For a company of 20 employees that designs road systems for motorized vehicles, Wallis Engineering is downright bike friendly. In 2008, 63 percent of its employees participated in the Bike Commute Challenge, earning them second place for companies their size. Bike posters dot office walls. A filing room at ground level fills with bikes each day. If you get a flat on the way to or from work, someone will rescue you in the company pickup.
Dave Brokaw, 38, commutes 20 miles round trip from Northeast Portland every day, threading his way around, through and over the Interstate Bridge. "There are some dicey spots," he says, but he's learned to stay out of trouble.
"I have everything I need to make a bike commute work," he says, including a shower, labeled storage bins and loaner bikes. The lousy economy has curtailed incentives the company used to offer, such as free sandwiches from the downstairs deli (no longer there). But during the Commute Challenge, bikers get a free breakfast and happy hour on the last day, where the person with the best commute story wins a prize.
ODS, downtown Portland
Everything a bike commuter needs is at street level in the 24-story ODS building just off the west end of the Morrison Bridge. Double-decker bike racks invite commuters to a room accessed from the sidewalk. Showers and lockers are down the hall ($15 a month for large lockers). Once you're dressed, walk through the main lobby and grab a latte on the way to the elevators. Of the 1,050 employees in the building (650 of whom work for ODS), 80 to 100 ride regularly, says Jonathan Nicholas, vice president for branding for ODS, and a longtime bike advocate.
One of those commuters is Robert Gootee, CEO of ODS. Gootee commutes from his home in Eastmoreland and has been known to have "lunch meetings" while riding the Springwater Corridor, a bike path that connects Portland to Gresham. ODS has some of the best facilities in the city, Nicholas claims, "but for added incentives, we still have room to grow." The keys to bike commuting are to help riders feel safe and to make the ride part of a daily routine. "No one is saying 'do it every day,'" he says. "It's Portland, it's dark and rainy, but start with one day a week, then two days, then three."
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