Key’s staff, pictured with the new bike storage hangars outside their Glasgow office
Key is a not-for-profit, housing and social care provider, supporting over 2,000 disabled young people and adults across 17 Scottish local authorities, and employing more than 2,000 staff. They are also a Registered Social Landlord, with over 800 tenants.
People supported, and employed, by Key can face many barriers to cycling, including access to appropriately adapted equipment, transport poverty, low confidence, and a lack of appropriate infrastructure near home and/or work.
More staff are cycling to Key
In recent years Key has seen a growing number of its staff and the people it supports take up cycling, including to their main office in Glasgow’s city centre. Key wanted to encourage this growth and build upon their offer of the ‘Cycle to Work’ scheme by providing a secure space to store cycles at the office.
With this in mind, they reached out to Cycling Scotland for support to help make the organisation Cycling Friendly.
Through engaging with the Cycling Friendly Award, staff also identified that some of their housing locations could benefit from improved cycle storage for supported people and tenants. For example, in Maryhill, more and more supported people, and support staff, are choosing to get around by bike – a change supported by links with local charity Drumchapel Cycle Hub and a growing number of high-quality cycle lanes in the area.
New nearby high-quality cycling infrastructure is helping more staff to cycle to work
However, a lack of secure or weather-protected cycle storage was leading to many bikes being stored in communal closes and offices. This presented a potential health and safety risk, and Key was determined to find a solution.
Finding a solution
Eager to improve the situation for staff and supported people, Key received tailored advice from Cycling Scotland to help them become Cycling Friendly, setting the organisation on a path to finding the best solutions.
They installed new external cycle parking units at both locations, funded by the Scottish Government’s People and Place Programme and delivered through Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) and Cycling Scotland.
In Maryhill, a new secure cycle storage unit was installed in the back court, along with basic bike maintenance equipment for staff and supported people. Making the most of the installation process, the cycle store was integrated into wider improvements, including a garden refresh and new seating which created a shared, welcoming space that supports community-building as well as cycling.
The new cycle storage; providing a secure, convenient place for residents to keep their bikes
At Key’s main office, two secure cycle hangars were installed in the office car park, repurposing a single car-parking space, to give up to 12 staff members, and/or visitors, a place to conveniently and securely store their bikes.
At the same time, one of the hangars was designed to include electrical supply for e-bike charging, future-proofing the facility to continue helping the growing number of people using e-bikes to get around.
“It makes cycling to work a realistic option”
Thanks to the new storage, people supported by Key, and Key staff, are being enabled to make more cycling journeys.
Having somewhere safe to keep my bike means I can actually use it without worrying about it being damaged or taken.
Overall, more of Key’s staff and supported people are cycling than before, whether as a low-cost everyday travel option or to access outdoor areas like the Forth and Clyde Canal and nearby parks – benefitting people’s physical and mental wellbeing, and increasing their transport independence.
The new storage has removed a critical barrier to cycling, allowing staff to take advantage of new local active travel infrastructure and feel more confident using a bike to travel.
The new storage makes cycling to work feel like a realistic option, not just something for confident cyclists.
Anne, who’s now been cycling to Key’s office for just over a year, said, “When you’ve had a day at work and you get on your bike and you feel like you’re five years old again. That’s what I like about it, the feeling. The freedom… you’re not walking from your office to your car, to then sit in traffic. With the storage, you’ve got complete freedom to get on your bike from work.”
“I feel cycling to work leaves me feeling perked up in the morning, and then you get home and you’re relaxed. It just makes you feel really good.”
Her colleague, George, shared how the new storage has made it easier to use his e-bike to travel to work. “Because it’s got the electrical supply, it means at the end of the day I’m going home with a fully charged battery. I didn’t know that was even possible with storage units. It’s been brilliant and very convenient.”
Helena, pictured with her bike on the way to work
For Helena, the bike storage has helped make cycling an easier choice: “It’s so much quicker than commuting by car, and it makes me feel a lot better. I don’t have to sit in traffic, which is a waste of time. You’re able to reorganise the day in your mind, and it’s a bit of exercise too.
“With the storage now, you see a lot more people cycling and coming in on their bikes too. I think more of us are thinking about it now, including people that hadn’t cycled much before.”
Following this immediate impact and its new Cycling Friendly Employer accreditation, Key is assessing the availability of cycle storage across their locations, to continue breaking down barriers to cycling for more supported people and staff across Scotland.
Find out more about the Cycling Friendly award.
