![[logo] US EPA](http://www.epa.gov/epafiles/images/logo_epaseal.gif){kind=logo}
Bike to Work - It's the 'Ride' Thing to Do
From TAP (the Transportation Action Partnership
of North Bethesda and Rockville)
Ingredients:
- A transportation management association (e.g., TMA);
- Local bike and walking club representatives;
- Parks and recreation planners, road planners; and
- Local employer representatives (e.g., buildings managers).
Seasonings:
- A shared understanding of transportation needs and resources;
- A shared commitment to provide support facilities like showers, secure bike storage access to paths, roads; and
- A shared desire to create and act on effective strategies.
Utensils:
- Consensus building to develop an effective coalition;
- Leadership to develop a vision; and
- Teamwork to get all the ingredients to work.
Servings:
- A good goal for year one -- 10 percent of commuters agree to bike or walk at least once a week.
Instructions:
- Mix an understanding of transportation demands and resources to
gather employers in an existing forums (e.g., a TMA) for an active multi-stakeholder effort. - Add the expertise of local experts on commuting alternatives (e.g. bike clubs, parks and recreation experts, and building managers). Stir in local police and safety organizations if they are not members of the group.
- Add inspiration to create a "how to" manual on bike and walking routes to work. Present with pomp and circumstance during a spring thaw with the support of local officials, employers and media coverage. Provide detailed maps for employers to target those employees with less than a 10-mile commute.
Hints from the Chef
Recipe works best if you have:
- Employer locations within 10 miles of residential neighborhoods;
- Employers with existing "health" promotions and programs;
- Roads and bridges with shoulder space available for bikes;
- Shower facilities and lockers for employees (or nearby health club); and
- An "emergency repair network" of local bike shops.