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Sustainable Travel Initiatives for Businesses and Employees
Implement our free initiatives in your business to improve your staff health & wellbeing and
cut your staff business travel costs. Leicester City Council Walking & Cycling Team, together
with our partners, Sustrans and Living Streets, can work with your business to better the
journeys of staff to/from work and in-work travel, leading to reduced costs for business in
terms of transport per se and in lower rates of sickness absence through a healthier
workforce.
Contact us:
Hannah May Email: [email protected] Tel: 0116 454 2817
Isabelle Baverstock Email: [email protected] Tel: 0116 454 1211
Max Longley Email: [email protected] Tel: 0116 454 5802
Javed Shah Email: [email protected] Tel: 0116 454 2491
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I cycle every day to and from work. It takes me roughly 30 minutes in
total. I drop my son off at school on my bike and continue onto work
afterwards. I keep my suits at work, and shower once I arrive.
It’s much less stressful than driving, it’s quicker than if I drove, and
after a long day of work I feel better for cycling home. It’s more
reliable as I’m in control of my own time and I know exactly how long my journey will take.
There are health benefits, both mentally and physically. Cycling saves me
going to the gym around work, because I can keep fit from cycling a
journey that I have to make anyway.
MW, Leicester City Council
Walking to work clears my head before I start work and sets me up for
a better day. The benefits of walking to work for me are I feel better in
myself and I feel happier by the time I reach work.
I am slowly losing weight and I am saving a lot of
money that I used to spend on taxis. Starting is the hardest part but once
you start and you will feel the benefits.
NP, University Hospitals Leicester
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Tools Walking & Cycling Roadshow for Employees
Let us stage an event at your business to help your staff walk and cycle more to improve their health
and wellbeing. Staff can benefit from:
A body composition test, which gives an indication of the level of people’s physical health by
showing exactly how much of their body is made up of muscle, bone, water and fat.
An information stall with free resources to take home including cycling maps and pedometers.
Advice and tools from our team, including cycling and walking time/distance maps specific to the
business, personal travel planning, pedometer giveaways, signposting to adult cycling training
etc. to help them fit more physical activity into their day.
In conjunction with our event, our partners, Sustrans, could provide Dr Bike (a bike fix), a discounted
sale of locks and lights and bike security marking, and Living Streets could provide tools to encourage
staff to increase walking (see below).
Discovery Walks and Rides
Eight weeks of bespoke led walks and rides for your business, which can take place before work, at
lunchtimes or after work. In conjunction with personal travel planning, walks and rides will show
staff:
Walking and cycling infrastructure in the city
Walking and cycling routes surrounding the workplace
Suitable commute routes
Green and quiet option routes
The Discovery Walks and Rides project includes the Walking and Cycling Roadshow and a Feet or
Fleet Travel Challenge.
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Sustainable Travel Grants
Businesses can apply for a grant of up to £5000 in any one year to implement changes at their
premises which encourage staff and visitors to travel actively and sustainably by walking, cycling,
public transport and car sharing. An application form can be downloaded from the Leicester
Business Engagement section of the CHYM website:
www.choosehowyoumove.co.uk/advice/business/
The business is expected to match fund the grant, although this can be in kind, by providing
staff time or a venue for a promotional event, for example.
The grant is available to businesses that are based in the Access Fund area (map below) or to
businesses that have at least 50% of their workforce living in this area.
One example of what a sustainable travel grant has been used for:
The sustainable travel grant is a great
scheme which helps businesses get the
facilities they need to encourage active
travel that might be slightly out of reach
financially.
Also, it helps with showing that we invest
in our teams and their well-being and this
helps our staff have pride at work.
Since installing the shower and bike rack,
we have found our sickness levels reduced
too.
Steve Goddard
Deputy Centre Manager, Beaumont Leys Shopping Centre
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Staff Personal Travel Planning
We provide individual staff with bespoke travel plans, mapping out their commute journey, where
appropriate, on foot, by bike or bus. This is a particularly useful tool for new starters to the business
or those moving office location. Where relevant, staff are then offered the free incentives below.
Leicester Weekly Flexi Bus Ticket on the One Card
A pre-paid weekly flexi bus ticket, which covers the greater Leicester area, can be offered if staff
request a personal travel plan and the most suitable journey is by bus.
Pedometer Giveaways
Pedometers will be offered to staff who request a personal travel plan with part of the
commute journey being made on foot.
Choose How You Move Rewards
Staff can track sustainable journeys using the free BetterPoints app, and earn points for walking,
cycling, using public transport or car share. When sufficient points have built up, they can be
exchanged for high street vouchers or donated to a favourite charity. To download the free app,
visit: https://www.betterpoints.uk/page/choose-how-you-move
Walk Leader Training
Training is on offer to give staff members the confidence to safely lead employees in your
organisation on local walks. This course lasts 2 hours and includes information on routes, recces of
routes, and risk assessments.
£300 Cycle Challenge
One-off £300 grants are available for projects, rides, publicity, training or other events which help
get more people on their bikes. The scheme is open to city-based groups, including businesses, to
promote more people cycling, more safely and more often in Leicester. For more information and to
apply, see www.leicester.gov.uk/transport-and-streets/cycling-in-leicester/cycling-schemes/300-
cycle-challenge/
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Travel Webpage for your Business
We can create a webpage on our Choose How You Move website containing travel information
relevant to your business. This webpage can be used by your staff and visitors to access travel
information and advertise your cycle to work scheme, for example.
Wheels to Work
Leicester City Council operate a Wheels to Work scheme, which is the low cost loan of pedal and
electric bikes and electric scooters for those who are struggling to get to work due to transport
barriers. The vehicle loan is typically over a period of 6 months, giving the participant enough time to
make their own transport arrangements to their place of work. Your business could recommend this
scheme to new employees, if they find it difficult to reach your location at the time that they are
required to work.
Site Audit Do you want to make your premises friendly to walkers and cyclists? Site audits can be conducted by
Walking & Cycling team officers or a Living Streets Coordinator, with the aim of improving the
walking and cycling infrastructure at or in the vicinity of your business.
E-Bike Loans and Tryouts
Free electric bike taster sessions are available for your staff, which show staff how to use an e-bike
and the benefits which can be experienced from them.
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Sustrans Cycling Programme
Our Sustrans partner can join us at a Walking & Cycling
Roadshow in your business and provides:
free bike safety checks and minor repairs (Dr Bike)
group or one-to-one cycle maintenance sessions
the discounted sale of D-locks and bike lights
bike security marking sessions with Bike Register
Dr Bike, cycle maintenance and bike security marking
require a coned off space near to the business’ bike
parking facilities.
Living Streets Walking Works Programme
Our Living Streets partner
consults with businesses
to deliver a Walking Plan
and Policy Guidance (left,
in the graphic) and 3 of
the remaining 7 initiatives
that focus on Promotion,
Place or Provision, for
example, walking maps,
pledge events, and led
walks.
The initiative will raise
awareness and motivate
staff to increase physical
activity and walking levels
and support them finding
ways to incorporate more
walking into their daily
routines.
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Information
Alongside the tools outlined above, we can provide information and advice about implementing the
following initiatives in your organisation, for your business to demonstrate a commitment to staff
wellbeing and environmental responsibility:
The Green Commute Initiative Cycle to Work Scheme
A new scheme perfect for electric bikes. It offers up to 42% savings on bikes for staff as part of the
Government’s Green Transport plan and there are no end-of-contract financial penalties for the
buyer.
A Green Bike Pool by The Green Commute Initiative
The Green Commute Initiative provides a complete turnkey electric pool bike solution, providing
employees with the use of a bank of electric bikes to make in-work journeys throughout the working
day. Pool bikes reduce the cost of business travel expenses and are a great way to improve
employee health & well-being.
Travel Plans
The City Council provides free help and guidance on the various elements of voluntary travel plans,
which are site specific and practical to each organisation. For more information, see
www.leicester.gov.uk/transport-and-streets/travel-plans-in-leicester
Bicycle User Group
Assistance is available to help your business set up a Bicycle User Group (BUG). BUGs support staff
who cycle for and/or to and from work.
SmartGo Leicester
Run by Go Travel Solutions, SmartGo Leicester helps businesses encourage low-carbon transport by
providing discounts to employees on sustainable travel if the business buys Smartgo Leicester
membership. Membership cost depends on the number of employees in a business. Offers cover
buses, trains, electric charging points, bikes & accessories, car hire. For more information, see
www.smartgo.co.uk/leicester
Electric Vehicle Charging
Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV) provides grants of £300 towards the costs of a charging
socket with the maximum number of sockets fundable, per site, at 20. For more information contact
[email protected]