Cycle Friendly Work Places
Standards and Guides
The following information is to assist organisations in the City to determine the optimal number and type of bicycle facilities for a cycle friendly workplace. Based on this information, the City has developed a spreadsheet to help you determine the number of bike parking facilities for your workplace.
Australian Standard
The Australian Standard AS 2890.3 – 1993 Parking Facilities Part 3: Bicycle Parking specifies bicycle parking types and other requirements such as location, protection, distances and signage. The standard is available from www.saiglobal.com
Austroads
The Austroads publication AP-11.14/99 Guide to Traffic Engineering Practice Part 14: Bicycles contains national guidelines for designing bicycle facilities. For offices, the guide recommends 1 space per 200 square meters of floor space. The guide is available from www.onlinepublications.austroads.com.au
City of Sydney planning controls
The Central Sydney Development Control Plan (DCP) which is the current City of Sydney planning control for the CBD requires at least 1 car parking space to be dedicated for bicycle parking for every 100 car parking spaces (equal to1 bicycle space for every 10 car parking spaces). The South Sydney DCP11 recommends 1 space per 20 staff.
The City of Sydney Standard Conditions which are applied to new developments specify the layout, design and security of bicycle facilities either on-street or off-street must comply with the minimum requirements of Australian Standard AS 2890.3 except that:
- all bicycle parking for occupants of residential buildings must be Class 1 bicycle lockers, and
- all bicycle parking for staff / employees of any land uses must be Class 2 bicycle facilities, and
- all bicycle parking for visitors of any land uses must be Class 3 bicycle rails.
The number of showers (with change area) and personal lockers required is specified as a condition of consent.
Green Star
Green Star is a sustainability rating tool for commercial buildings created by the Green Building Council of Australia. For more information see www.gbcaus.org
Green Star encourages:
- secure bicycle storage for 5-10% of building staff based on 1 person per 15 square meters of net lettable area (NLA)
- accessible showers (1 per 10 bicycle spaces provided or part thereof)
- change facilities with secure lockers for each bicycle space
- visitor bicycle parking (one per 7,500 square meters NLA) in an accessible location, signposted and near a major public entrance.
Vic Roads and Bicycle Victoria
The following documents assist in choosing the right bicycle storage system and can be downloaded from the Vic Roads website www.vicroads.vic.gov.au or Bicycle Victoria website www.bv.com.au
- The Cycle-Friendly Workplace guide has been prepared by Bicycle Victoria to help businesses encourage people to travel to work by bicycle. They can be obtained directly from Bicycle Victoria by phoning (03) 8636 8888 or 1800 639 634 (country callers) or download a copy from the Bicycle Victoria website.
- The Bicycle Parking Handbook (developed by Bicycle Victoria and the Cycling Promotion Fund) provides information on choosing a location, evaluating needs, selecting the right rails and layout design.
- Providing Bicycle Facilities (developed by Bicycle Victoria, Retail Cycle Traders Australia, Victoria Police, RACV and Vic Roads) identifies where bicycle facilities should be located and the most suitable type.
Tips and Hints
The No-Excuse Zone
The design firm EDAW have prepared a map showing the average ride times around central Sydney. Based upon a series of test rides, the map shows the distance a healthy person can ride within half an hour to or from the city centre. To download the map, click here
Problems in the Workplace
If you are having difficulty with building management or security in obtaining safe bicycle access and storage in your building, it may be worth trying to identify the building owner or property leasing agent.
Many of these companies now have green charters to encourage environmentally friendly forms of transport, employee health and well being, and may be able to assist in resolving issues that are preventing cycling in the work place.
Insurances
One of the major concerns of any organisation regarding cycling in the workplace are insurance implications.
It is essential that individuals contact their human resources manager and confirm that cycling will be covered by the organisations Workers Compensation Policy for journeys to or from work. Generally speaking, this should be the case as the Workers Compensation Act doesn't exclude cycling as a method of travel to work.
Individuals (or companies) may also wish to take out further insurance, including accident and liability cover. Contact your insurance broker for information.
Another option is to take out annual membership with Bicycle NSW, which includes public liability and product liability insurance. Bicycle NSW is the leading bicycle association in the state. For more information on Bicycle NSW visit their website at www.bicyclensw.org.au
Please note, the information provided in this section is to provide indicative advise only. It is the responsibility of the individual and their organisation to make enquiries in relation to insurance and to determine the appropriate type of insurance cover.
Other Resources
Providing proper facilities and resources is a way for companies to demonstrate commitment to cycling. Ideally spare bicycle tools should be provided close to the bicycle parking area and include:
- Puncture repair kit
- Allen keys, spanners and screwdrivers
- Spare tubes
- Pump
Downloads
- Bicycle Parking Calculator | MS Excel 15Kb
- EDAW Ride-to-Work flyer | PDF 773Kb
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