‘End-of-ride facilities’ = bike to work, no sweat!

Feb 22, 2017
‘End-of-ride facilities’ = bike to work, no sweat!

Bruce Copeland

When you survey people about making the leap into everyday riding, near the top of their list of needs, you’ll find ‘end-of-ride facilities.’ This can be as simple as a place to park a bike, through to showers and bathroom facilities to get fluffed up before hitting the office. Even with the advent of e-bikes, many of us feel conscious of being sweaty and malodorous after a ride, which can be a significant impediment to enjoying the delights of commuting by bike.

The new Unitary Plan includes a very strong nudge towards providing end-of-ride facilities, and it’ll be interesting to see how these new requirements improve things for people and their bikes in the coming years.

Of course, some workplaces are already well ahead of the game. I was excited to learn that Kiwi Property have been renovating and extending the end-of-ride facilities in one of their flagship properties, the Vero Centre. I went down to look at the changes and this is what I found…

For starters, there’s a lot more bike parking. Bikes used to be chained up all other the place, but now most are neatly put away in the new racks.VerobuildingbikeparkingbikeparkingVerobuildingAs you can see, there are also long and strong cables hanging down – so as well as locking through your bike frame, you can easily tie up your quick-release wheels, etc. Vero also has onsite security, with CCTV as an added deterrent.

When it comes to looking after the rides, they supply free air, and a rack for running repairs too!

Free air

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The plan is to get a bike mechanic to pop in from time to time to help people with more technical problems – they’ll put the word out when the mechanic is on site, so you can drop by during this time. As more people get electric rides, this will be invaluable (e-bikes are reliable, but can be a bit more tricky to change tires, for example). Speaking of electric bikes… how about this park-and-charge rack??

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People need refueling after their ride, too – which is why there’s a handy drinking fountain right nearby.

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Once you’ve locked and/or plugged in your bike, it’s time to attend to the niceties before getting on with the work day. Kiwi Property has this covered, too, with a shower room and locker facilities.

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All in all, this is a really impressive response to the growing enthusiasm for biking to work, and a fantastic example for other developers, landlords, and employers across the city.

If you know of other excellent workplaces setting a high standard for end-of-ride facilities – and any other initiatives to smooth the way for those of us who get there on two wheels – we’d love to hear about it. Show us your overflowing bike cages! 

 

[Thanks to Kate Burrows for extra photos!]

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