16 March 2009

Battle numbers a sign of cycling times

Organisers of this year’s Bike Wise Battle say record participation and an incredible number of kilometres cycled show the humble pushbike is making a commuting comeback.

This year 13,008 employees representing 663 workplaces and 2,687 departments hit the pedals to add to their organisation’s cycling tally. That’s 2,000 more participants than last year, but NZ Transport Agency spokesperson Andy Knackstedt said the number of kilometres cycled was the most impressive statistic.

“Last year we were thrilled that participants biked a collective one million kilometres. This year we’ve doubled that to 2,048,600 kilometres. That’s nearly 160 kilometres per person involved.”

The Bike Wise Battle is held every year as part of Bike Wise Month, which took place during February. Organisations compete for the title of the most cycle-friendly workplace by encouraging as many employees as possible to cycle at least two kilometres. Tallies are entered at the Bike Wise Battle website so companies can see how they’re doing and pick up the pace if needed.

Mr Knackstedt said that while any cycling trip could qualify, it was common for people to cycle to and from work as part of the Battle.

“People are increasingly choosing to cycle to work as a way of saving on fuel costs, sparing the environment and becoming more active.

“The Battle helps people re-discover how enjoyable and convenient cycling is. More than a thousand of this year’s participants were ‘rookies’ who rarely or never ride a bike, and we hope that many of these will now become regular cyclists.”

Wendy Saunders, a social scientist at GNS Science, said nearly half the organisation’s 320 staff in four offices around the country took part in the Battle and found it a great experience.

“We have a few keen cyclists, but most who took part did it just to help us compete. A lot of people have said they enjoyed the team building and staff bonding that took place and they now want to keep riding.”

Ms Saunders is based at the institute’s Lower Hutt branch where secure bike parking and showers are provided for workers who commute by bike.

“Active, healthy employees are good for any company so cycling to work is something our organisation definitely encourages. Although we didn’t win the title this year, we still see being part of the Battle as a win-win situation.”

Organisations taking part in the Bike Wise Battle compete against others of a similar size in one of five categories. Winners received vouchers for scrumptious morning tea shouts and individual participants were in the draw for daily spot prizes including Avanti bikes.

The top three organisations in this year’s five categories were:

Organisation Size - Very Small (3-6 Employees)
Organisation/Participation/Staff/Total kms

Modern Office Ltd/100%/3/457
Spinning Planet/100%/6/223
Marton OSCAR/100% /3 /91

Small (7-24 Employees)
Organisation/Participation/Staff/Total kms

Child Development Service Mid Central Health/100%/10/1068
Abley Transportation Engineers/100/9/703
Te Puke Vet Centre/100%/19/2280

Medium (25-99 Employees)/
Organisation/Participation/Staff/Total kms

Sinclair Knight Merz Christchurch/ 100%/32/6312
ViaStrada Ltd/100%/30/4769
Arrow International Christchurch/93%/ 29/ 4065

Large (100-499 Employees)
Organisation/Participation/Staff/Total kms

Fisher and Paykel Appliances/100%/105/12,005
Sungard/98%/127/12,459
Beca Christchurch and Dunedin/ 83%/ 188/ 22,108

Very Large (500+ Employees)
Organisation/Participation/Staff/Total kms

Landcare Research/59%/529/35,145
National Institute Of Water And Atmospheric Research (NIWA)/46%/756/38,021
Rotorua District Council/44%/573/17,519

ENDS