Switching to two wheels

Employees of these firms who took part in the #przesiadka scheme used the Srida bikes provided by Bike2Box to get to work, to go for a lunch, for business meetings – and even for private social gatherings. The idea was to switch from four to two wheels. “We have joined the #przesiadka scheme as we believe that if you want things to change, you have to start with yourself. We want to show that you can travel by bike through the city as quickly as by car, and, additionally, it is a way to preserve the environment,” said Ewa Andrzejewska, the editor-in-chief of ‘Eurobuild Central & Eastern Europe’. After just a few days of testing the Strida bicycles delivered by Bike2Box we knew that appearing on the streets of Warsaw on Strida could evoke a lot interest, mainly among the sterner sex, and that riding the bike, which can be easily folded up, could be a real challenge.

Here are some of our testers’ opinions:

“A bicycle has been my main mean of transport around the city for a long time, I ride practically every day to and from work as well as for longer excursions along the road, so I welcomed the Bike2box idea with a lot of excitement. After a few good days of riding in various regions of Warsaw, I think it is an interesting alternative, particularly for shorter distances. The bicycle folds up quickly and without using a lot of force, so if need be, it would be easy to throw it into the boot of a taxi or get on the underground with it. You cannot be anonymous on this bicycle, it attracts attention of all the pedestrians and drivers. The bicycle’s extraordinary maneuverability might be a difficulty at the beginning, but after a few minutes it stops being a problem and you can fully enjoy the ride,” summed up Michał Stanisławski, associate director, capital markets, CBRE.

“The beginning was quite hard for me but then it got only better and better. Strida definitely makes an impression and attracts attention. Admittedly it is possible to go uphill but getting onto the curbs and pavements made of large paving flags is poor,” added Julia Adamczyk, JLL.

“It is light, ergonomic, but not very precise in terms of steering. It quickly gathers speed, has low rolling resistance, very good breaks, a comfortable seat and it is excellent for moving from one office to another. I believe that it could do with an extra pannier e.g. for documents,” said Maciej Dziedzic. Following a 6-km ride Paweł Pałacha said that the bicycle is not suitable for tall people as rider’s knees hit the handlebars when turning and it is very conspicuous of course. Adam Rolbecki on the other hand pointed out the wrongly set centre of balance. “When riding on an uneven surface there is a danger of falling over backwards and there is also a danger of falling over at sudden turns,” he said.

“I am testing the bicycle mainly in terms of getting to work. It is definitely an attractive alternative to crowded and stuffy buses. It is worth pointing out the fact that in spite of its small size the bicycle is very convenient because of its soft seat, rubber profiled bars and the structure which makes it possible to keep an upright body posture. Its additional asset is a luggage carrier which enables you to carry small packages/shopping. Using a belt instead of a traditional chain is also a definite plus which eliminates the possibility of getting dirty or tearing your trousers, in addition its large front ratchet makes it fast despite small wheels, perhaps it would not be possible to win a race against a traditional bicycle but you are still moving at quite a fast speed. I was surprised by its disc brakes because I did not expect such razor sharp efficiency in such a small bicycle,” remarked Joanna Smolińska, senior lease administration, asset services, CBRE.

Our testers’ employers know that people are now more and more environmentally aware and thus try to address their needs. Their opinions on the scheme are as follows:

“Green solutions and healthy lifestyle become increasingly popular these days. According to a survey carried out by us, one fifth of people employed in the shared service sector get to work by bicycle. At Skanska we try to respond to this trend. We want our tenants and employees to feel good in the office itself but also have a possibility of getting there by bike comfortably. That is why we always try to provide infrastructure for cyclists in our buildings. This mostly includes bike racks and showers. We also make sure that bike-sharing stations are located within close proximity from our projects. This way we try to strengthen our employees’ engagement and satisfaction at work. We also reinforce the reputation of an open and sustainability-promoting company. We can see that our employees, regardless of their age, increasingly ask for cyclist-friendly solutions,” says Katarzyna Olczak, HR director at Skanska Commercial Development Europe.

“Our participation in the #przesiadka scheme has not only reaffirmed our belief in the bicycle being a healthy, convenient and fast means of transportation. Also, the natural environment protection as well as sustainable and efficient building management are parts of Hines’ standards, so we are glad to see the growing popularity of green solutions among our tenants, including the switch from four wheels to two wheels,” added Tomasz Sasin, sustainability manager, Hines Poland.

And what are the scheme’s outcomes? “The #przesiadka project is an everyday shot of positive emotions: before and after work. Did the first run of the scheme work? Definitely yes! A few companies of the Polish real estate market took part in the venture. They included both the developers that carry out and thus care about sustainability-related projects and the companies that that deeply care about their employees. We believe that today’s workplace is not just glass and concrete but first of all people and their experiences. And these experiences can be positively shaped by us and facility managers. We want to use the experience of the first edition of #przesiadka to create automated bike stations in the best office buildings in Warsaw next year,” revealed Radek Kozubski, CEO of Bike2Box.