Workplace equipment supplier Slingsby is predicting that large numbers of employers should be making provisions for a surge in cyclists arriving at work every day after the Tour de France’s Grand Départ’s huge success in the UK.
Cycling has soared in popularity in recent years and approximately 500,000 people have taken advantage of the Government’s ‘Cycle to Work’ scheme, which enables employees to save money on bikes and related safety accessories by making them completely tax-deductible.
As a result, workplaces across all industries already have to accommodate increasing numbers of bikes and the Tour de France is encouraging many more people to take up cycling.
Slingsby Marketing Director, Lee Wright says: “Cycling is a fast growing sport and Britain’s successes in the Olympics and Tour De France have both had a big impact on the number of bikes on our roads.
“In many areas, and especially in towns and cities, a parking space is a major staff perk but nowadays a secure place to store a bike can be just as much of a priority.
“Cycling is made even more appealing by rising fuel prices, a significant investment nationally in new cycle networks and the fact it offers lots of health benefits, also good news for employers because it means their people are likely to be more productive.”
Lee adds: “The ‘Cycle to Work’ initiative is also continuing to have a positive impact on the numbers of people cycling to work. Since the scheme launched in 1999 we have seen orders for cycle storage equipment continually growing year on year and we have expanded our product range substantially to meet this demand with products now ranging from individual wall-mounted racks for individual bikes through to secure compounds that can store large numbers of bikes.”
With the ‘Cycle to Work’ initiative, employees effectively hire a bike from their employer by paying monthly instalments that are taken from their salary before tax. The hire agreement usually lasts for between 12 and 18 months and then the employee buys the bike for a percentage of its original cost price.
www.cyclescheme.co.uk