4 July 2017
Council funding to encourage bike-friendly business districts

A small Wellington organisation that is encouraging local businesses to set up bike-friendly business districts is the main recipient of a 2017 grant from Wellington City Council’s Communities on Bikes fund.

Bikes Welcome is a charitable trust set up to promote the benefits for local business owners of becoming a ‘Bikes Welcome Business’, and joining forces with other businesses in their suburb to become a bike-friendly area so more people on bikes will stop and visit local shops more often.

Bikes Welcome trustee Jo Clendon says the grant is a boost to their plans for raising awareness among business people about why they should welcome and encourage customers who cycle.

“More people cycling will mean more customers, and creating bike-friendly business districts benefits everyone. Biking customers will spend more over time at shops where parking is easy and we’ll be working with Wellington City Council to provide more bike parking in these areas – starting with Miramar and Karori.”

Businesses that join up to Bikes Welcome will become part of an online business network and receive a range of resources to promote their Bikes Welcome status, including signs, publicity, and giveaways for customers.

Jo says they also received funding to make a ‘bikes mean business’ short film about how businesses can benefit from being bike friendly.

The Communities on Bikes fund allocates up to $50,000 a year to projects that encourage people to ride bikes as an everyday transport choice. Projects can be events, activities, programmes, infrastructure or equipment.

Other Communities on Bikes funding recipients for 2017 are Mechanical Tempest and Wenches with Wrenches, who run workshops to show people how they can fix their bikes.

The Council's Planning Manager, Network Improvements, Paul Barker, says bike use in Wellington is growing and bike-friendly businesses can provide incentives for their employees and customers.

“Installing more bike parking in suburban town centres is one of the ways the Council can support local businesses and cycling as a viable transport choice.”

ENDS

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