Employers Asked to be Bike-Wise
Trevor Mallard, Minister for Sport and Recreation today launched the SPARC Cycle Friendly Employer Guide at the Bike to
Work Day breakfast in Civic Square.
The Cycle Friendly Employer Guide is aimed at providing a guide for organisations to plan and implement cycle friendly
programmes in the workplace. The resource offers a range of ideas that will help employers make their workplaces
cycle-friendly.
SPARC CEO Nick Hill says " this is an excellent resource. SPARC has already worked through the checklist to ensure that
we have a cycle friendly workplace. Cycling is an excellent way to Push Play and I want to encourage all my staff to
bike to work. "
Hill says " biking to work is a great way to get some physical activity into your life. Cycling not only benefits your
health, but it means you don ' t have to fight the traffic and it is definitely cheaper parking. "
Research by SPARC shows that New Zealand couch potato index is 30%. That means 30% of the population is active for less
than 2.5 hours per week. Hill says " people need to understand that 30 minutes a day of moderate level physical activity
will add hugely to their health prospects and quality of life and biking is just one way they can do that. The links
between physical inactivity and health problems can ' t be ignored. "
The Cycle Friendly Employer Guide has been produced in partnership with the Cycle Advocacy Network.
Bike to Work Day is organised by Wellington City Council and Cycle Aware Wellington, this event is part of Bike Wise
National Bike Week, and is the city's seventh Bike To Work Day.
For copies of the Cycle Friendly Employer Guide go to http://www.sparc.org.nz