Feature: Report from Nottingham Conference on Cycling to Work

Overview

The day was organised and hosted by Hugh McClintock of the School of the Built Environment at the University of Nottingham. 75 delegates turned up from all over the UK, with one attendee from Dublin. The focus of the day was very much around cycling and travel plans, and targeted primarily at planners and cycling officers. The majority of delegates were from this council or that, with only one other campaigner (from a struggling group in Derby).

My Objectives

As the CCC committee is considering a 2- or 3-year project to promote cycling to work in Camden, I was very interested in hearing how this has been promoted in a range of circumstances, and also hearing feedback on the ideas I've discussed with Stefano.

The Trip to Nottingham

As followers of the CCC mailing list (subscribe here) may remember (view thread here), I had a hard time finding a cheap train ticket and getting a reservation for my bike - though I did both in the end.

I turned up at St Pancras nice and early in advance of my 07.25 train, in case there was some rigamarole involved in getting my bike on the train. I also wanted to get something for breakfast. The new station concourse is really nice, open, and clean, though it clearly is a work in progress (very few options for food, unfortunately). The lift at the back of the ticket hall is also quick and efficient, easily fitting a bike and several people with luggage.

The station at that hour was surprisingly quiet, and there were lots of staff on hand to answer questions, though in the end, everything was pretty straightforward. I found one of the train staff who directed me to the bike storage area in the last coach. Mine was the only bike there, though a half dozen or more could have fit as well. So I never did need to show anyone my bike reservations, and would have been just as well off without.

The event organisers had provided clear(ish) directions to the venue, the first half of which takes advantage of a newly-resurfaced towpath alongside Nottingham Canal. It was easy to find, just 100m or so from the station.

A great deal of effort has clearly gone into the refurbishment of the towpath and the surrounding area - there were lots of flat conversions, the Magistrate's Court, and several cafes and bars (could be a preview of what we have to look forward to at Kings Cross).

Soon the loft apartments and restaurants gave way to narrowboats and anglers, who looked more at home than many of the besuited walkers I'd seen on the path closer to the station.

As I was scrutinising my instruction sheet at the point of exiting the towpath, I met two others on their way to the conference and we walked the rest of the way together.

Speakers

The morning and first part of the afternoon were plenary sessions with presentations and case studies, and an hour dedicted to "workshops" later in the afternoon before a plenary wrap up at the end of the day.

At registration, I recognised only one face: that of Dave Holladay of the CTC; but I spent a half hour or so before the event and later at lunch chatting to representatives of various councils up and down the country. Unsurprisingly, many of them are keen to increase cycling levels, but often find doing this within the context of travel plans to be a bit of a challenge.

Conrad Haigh: A Clear Divide?

First came Conrad Haigh of AEA Technology and ERCDT, who gave a talk about the relationship and complementary objectives of travel planners and council cycling officers. The presentation was meant to be slightly controversial I think, starting with the assumption that these two groups are naturally divided. I don't believe that anyone really believed that premise, which turns his point on its head a bit. He proceeded to present a couple esoteric models about change management and attempted to wrap it all together by concluding that travel planners and cycling officers need to work together to create successful change. All in all, not the best start.

Jo Cleary: Cycling and Travel Plans - An Overview

Next was Jo Cleary, a consultant who has recently completed her PhD under McClintock. Her short presentation was clear and succinct, outlining the role of cycling in travel plans, making a case for their inclusion, stating some prerequisites for success, and listing potential problem areas. The overriding message here is an interesting one: "cycling remains a poor relation in the world of travel planning." This may explain why so many travel plans that one comes across don't even include cycling - even school travel plans in central London. The problem seems to be that the people who devise the plans don't understand cycling, or how to approach it. For the CCC, this may present an opportunity to get closer organisations creating travel plans and offer support and guidance around the cycling component.

Dr Adrian Davis: Travel Plans, Cycling, and the NHS

Dr Adrian Davis, a consultant (in the medical sense) provided the next presentation on "Travel Plans, Cycling, and the NHS". This was a very rich presentation with lots of interesting facts and examples. High points include:

• The NHS has made a commitment to travel plans, but only 17 percent had developed one by 2002 - possibly because of the huge list of other priorities NHS Trusts need to address
• Travel plans that promote cycling don't necessarily lead to an increase in cyclist numbers
• Examples of measures used to increase cycling at NHS Trusts include: routing local cycle routes near the hospital; installing/upgrading shower facilities; installing parking facilities; installing showers; offering cycle training; offering bicycle allowances at tax-free limit; and offering interest-free loans
• Recommendations for cycling promotion include: providing comprehensive "how to reach us" advice for visitors that includes cycling; ensuring that pool bikes have maintenance contracts; and monitoring shower use to show that not only cyclists use them

Case Studies

Five case studies were then presented to show how several different organisations have handled travel plans and cycling. They included Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, Manchester Airport, and GSK. Two further case studies from a slightly different angle included a programme for small businesses in Nottingham and Cycle Training UK.

Addenbrooke's Hospital

Addenbrooke's is an impressive example, and an impressive overall organisation. Presenter Wyn Hughes is a senior manager with the Estate Infrastructure and Facilities department, and what his organisation has accomplished shows how important it is to have a someone in a role like his driving cycling initiatives. The site of the hospital is huge, and will be doubling over the coming decade. Much of the travel planning strategy has been driven (no pun intended) by the lack of car parking spaces and a commitment to the county council to reduce traffic in the surrounding area. So the hospital has taken a hard-line view, prohibiting employees who live within two miles from driving, and charging all others for car parking. The initiatives put in place to encourage cycling seem typical, but well-executed: cycle lanes, parking, showers, publicity. The comination of disincentives for drivers and faclities for cyclists has been very effective; of the nearly 6000 staff on site, 25 percent cycle to work regularly. He concluded on a controversial note: in addition to several pro-cycling measures being considered for the future, they are also considering charging for cycle parking!

Manchester Airport

John Carlile provided an animated presentation the Cycle Centre he has created at Manchester Airport, along with the increasing number of cycle routes through and around the site. The Cycle Centre is a small shop within the airport open to employees and travellers alike selling small accessories and parts, maps, and providing same-day repairs. It seems to have played a big part in encouraging cycling at the airport, but it is clear that the publicity generated by Carlile has also been very important. The point that sticks in my memory is that the cycle centre recently received two travellers from New Zealand arriving with their bikes in boxes and assembled them free of charge, then boxed them back up upon their departure! Anyone who's ever tried to fly with a bike will recognise the value (and rarity!) of that service.

GSK

Finally, Samira Khan explained the initiatives put in place to encourage cycling to the world headquarters of GSK in West London. This is where all the top executives of the highly-successful multinational pharmaceuticals firm is based, so it should be no surprise that wrenching the people there out from behind the steering wheels of their Mercs and Beemers would be no easy feat. The scheme has been successful, though, due to a variety of measures which, she admits, are only made possible thanks to the deep pockets of her employer. Luxurious showers and changing facilities (with towels so plush that the execs were nicking them!) were installed, then expanded when they were quickly outgrown. A partnership with Evans Cycles provides all GSK employees with a 10% discount, and the retailer sets up a mobile shop in the GSK carpark every couple of months. And the programme for which GSK has won awards is the "bike miles" scheme that gives each cyclist a stamp in a book on days when he or she arrives by bike, and a full book can be exchanged for £200 in vouchers from Evans or Dr Bike.

TransACTlite

Fiona Coulson explained TransACTlite, a programme in Nottingham that provides up to £1000 for very small businesses (fewer than 20 staff) to spend on bikes, storage facilities, and accessories. With the support of the city and county, the programme helps these businesses overcome any potential roadblocks in the way of getting their employees cycling. The bureaucratic rigamarole and red tape is minimal. This seemed to me to be a model we could potentially use in Camden if we could get funding for it.

Cycle Training UK

Finally, David Dansky gave a presentation on what Cycle Training UK is like from the trainee's point of view. I suspect that this will hold few surprises for most CCC members, as CTUK seems to me to be omnipresent around London of late. What was of interest, though, was that few of the presenters that came before focused on training - much more emphasis on providing infrastructure and promotion to get bums on bikes.

Workshops and Wrap-up

An hour in the afternoon was dedicated to several break-out sessions where further discussion could take place in smaller groups. I opted to attend the NHS workshop but most of the discussion was monopolised by another attendee looking for advice on some specific problems.

The last session of the day included a brief report from each of the breakouts, and a panel discusion where any further questions could be asked. That's when I posed my question about our tentative plan to have a person dedicated to promoting cycling in the workplace in Camden. I explained the idea to the panel and asked for any advice or examples of where this has been done before.

The response was a bit thin on the ground, though encouraging enough. David of CTUK said that something similar had been effective in Cambridge, and I've emailed him for more details. Another panel member said that is important to have a "champion" for cycling in the business community, so I thought we could call the role something like "business cycling champion". Also, Wyn Hughes said that he had had an external figure come in to advise on the cycling initiatives early on, which made it easier to get off the ground because of the associated credibility and perceived objectivity.

Conclusion

So, was it a worthwhile trip? Absolutely. I met lots of interesting people (including one who had never been to London - imagine that!), and got a stack of solid information on promoting cycling in the workplace that we can use as the CCC moves forward with this initiative.

I also managed to see a bit of Nottingham before my train left for home!