Sault Area Hospital staff were all smiles recently with the grand opening of their new secure indoor bike shelter. It means they can now make the healthy and environmentally conscious choice—cycling to work—without fear of their bike being stolen. The risk of loss is heightened for hospital staff who work nights, as bike thieves often do their work under cover of darkness. And the loss can be huge; a quality ride for a diehard cyclist can cost thousands of dollars.
Clean North applauds Sault Area Hospital’s Wellness Committee for championing this secure bike shelter, and we hope it can be a model for other area employers. Bike security is a major concern for those who wish to cycle to work. If there’s no secure storage, many staff will not take the risk. By providing secure storage, employers can help reduce transportation-related carbon emissions as well as air pollution in our city. Making it less worrisome for staff to cycle to work obviously benefits their health and wellness, too.
How did they do it?
The hospital faced an uphill climb in getting a secure bike shelter built for its staff, mainly due to funding challenges. Hospitals do not receive funding for capital equipment; our hospital’s is purchased through funds raised by the Sault Area Hospital Foundation. And given the ongoing need for new medical equipment, a bike shelter for staff was never going to be a priority.
The hospital caught a break, however, when the outside of the facility had to be repaired. They were able to work construction of the bike shelter into the facade repairs, with local engineers, contractors, and suppliers donating time, expertise, and building materials.
This project took about a year and a half from project approval to the grand opening. The shelter holds about 24 bikes and staff can access it 24/7 using a passcode.
How can other employers learn from SAH’s experience?
We’ll let the hospital say it in their own words:
There were many nos we heard before the approval came. As a large organization with stakeholders and
public obligations to meet, there were many considerations and many questions to answer before we
could get the approval to secure funding and donations for such a project. This project didn’t take
months; it took years.
If you are passionate about this work, keep going…this project did not happen overnight, but it did happen! It took a lot of time to get all of the pieces together; perseverance, commitment and support both internally and externally were the keys to the success of this undertaking.
Want to know more about the hospital’s new secure bike shelter?
Contact Felicia Clement at the hospital.
If your business or organization has provided secure storage for staffmembers’ bikes, please let us know!
