I spent my lunchtime in the restaurant at Harrogate Hospital yesterday. The HR department at the hospital have put together a leaflet with a bit of input from Cycle Harrogate. It details the cycle facilities on offer for bike riders at the hospital and gives some advice on commuting to work in Harrogate. Katy Ward and Craig from HR were there to promote the cyclescheme. This if you don't know is the government backed initiative where you can get a bike, pay for it over a year and not pay any tax or national insurance on the purchase. Basically you get a bike for a third off, more if you pay top rate tax.
I was a little apprehensive that we would spend two hours talking to no one. I couldn't have been more wrong. There was a long stream of people interested in the scheme, a few people after advice on bike parking and a few folk wanting some cycle training. I think we managed to help everyone out.
A couple of issues that did come out of all of this was that there are is not enough cycle parking at the hospital. People were complaining about struggling to get anywhere to put their bikes. Katy took this issue back with her. Lets see if anything can be done.
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| overflowing cycle parking |
In the short term I am going to make sure Katy knows about my Cycle Harrogate app and map. Hopefully sometime this financial year we will have North Yorkshire County Councils much needed improved signage and online map.
So well done to the Hospital for taking up the gauntlet Cycle Harrogate threw down this time last year. They have more than risen to the challenge. Its great to see Harrogate's largest employer doing its bit for health promotion amongst its staff. It would be good to get some of the town's other large employers doing the same if they aren't already. It looks like these events may be happening a little more often going forward and we are looking at ways to build on this excellent start.
Well done Dave. The hospital has, in my experience, previously been very reluctant to get serious about encouraging staff to cycle to work. It's great to see this change of attitude, which owes a lot to your efforts and other involved with Cycle Harrogate. I hope the hospital now aims to maximise cycling - I'm tempted to say, to 'Go Dutch' - a change of culture which will be seen as hugely preferable to driving when there's no need. And if they can do it, there's no excuse for other organisations and businesses not to do the same.
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