Like a healthy hit of coffee

One member of the government (whose name we shall not mention) famously stated that vegetarianism and bicycles were a cultural fad worthy of condemnation, which out of an incomprehensible obstinacy the EU wished to promote. When it comes to not eating meat, opinions remain divided, but as for the growing popularity of biking, it would be difficult to find someone from our sector who would speak out against it. City bikes that can be hired by anyone are now the norm in many European cities – and not just the largest ones. The story is the same with the growing number of bike stands and repair stations. Local authorities are allocating increasing funds to constructing and repairing cycle paths and are being supported by office building managers and developers, who are competing with each other in the facilities they provide for cyclists.

Well-being according to a developer

“A healthy workplace is made up of many factors, but one of them is that it promotes a healthy style of life. In the time of the pandemic, the safety of an office user begins on his way to work. A bicycle is an alternative to public transport and and a safe means of city transport,” claims Karol Wyka, the leasing director of HB Reavis Poland, and he also goes on to say that to encourage those who work in HB Reavis-built offices to give up their four wheels in favour of two, convenient cycling facilities have been set up inside, outside and around the company’s buildings. “In Varso Place, there will eventually be places for 750 bicycles and in our Forest campus offices there will be 470. Both projects will have changing rooms, showers and lockers so office workers will be able to quickly get changed before and after work,” he explains. However, he also points out that such facilities are not all that is required to meet cyclists’ needs. “It’s useful to have a bicycle service point as well as elevators that come out directly on the pavement,” he says. The bicycle stands in HB Reavis’ buildings have a rubber coatings so as not to scratch a bicycle’s paintwork and the facilities are fully integrated with the city cycle paths. “The most recently built cycle path starts at Varso Tower and is part of the renovation of al. Jana Pawła II,” adds Karol Wyka.

On your bike to work

Certainly, the increase in the popularity of the bicycle entails a number of consequences such as less traffic in the centre of town, with reduced exhaust fumes and less smog. Also cyclists themselves become healthier, both psychologically and physically, as well as more active and happier. Adam Targowski, the CEE sustainability manager at Skanska, has always been a cyclist, but it was only when he moved from Warsaw’s Żoliborz district to Zawady that he started cycling regularly. For him, the bicycle has become an alternative means of transport to get to work. “On average, I cycle every second day along that charming route leading down the Vistula and almost all of it is a cycle path,” says Adam Targowski. “It’s around 17 km one way and my best time is 37 minutes, but on average it takes me about 45. That’s about the same time it takes by car or public transport,” he claims.

It’s only slightly fewer kilometres than Ewa Lis (pictured left), the senior financial controller at Immofinanz, cycles every week, as she does at least 100 km in the saddle. And what’s her opinion about cycling facilities in Warsaw? “I think that Warsaw in this regard has a lot going for it,” she replies. “When it comes to cycle paths, there are quite a lot of them but I can still see room for improvement, There are still places along main roads where you will only find isolated sections of cycle paths. However, I can see that the city is trying to fill in these missing sections,” she says. But then after a while she adds that what would really encourage people to adopt cycling would be if such cycling routes were planned at the same level as the city’s roads. “You’ve only got to look at how many car parks we have in the centre of the city compared to how many places you can leave a bike. If it was convenient and easy to ride to any part of the city, more people would take up cycling,” points out Ewa Lis.

Elevators for bikes

Both these cyclists when asked what are the most important facilities for cyclists replied talked of places to leave a bicycle and showers. “I am convinced that what is most important is a safe place to leave a bicycle. Skanska has for years set aside such places for bicycles in its buildings’ basements as well as showers,” points out Adam Targowski. He also points out that for those who are not quite so physically able, going up and down a ramp to get in and out of the basement is not so easy. “There is an answer for that too. Elevators designed for cyclists are becoming more common. You can enter from a side-entrance through a separate lift without having to show yourself to anyone when you have just finished some physical exercise. In the basement, locker rooms await the cyclist, and so of course do showers,” he adds.

Ewa Lis also praises her office building’s cycling facilities. “In Myhive Crown Point, the building where I work, the facilities are really encouraging,” she says. “There are bicycle racks, locker rooms and showers, which means it is no problem to come to work by bike. I must say that if these facilities weren’t there, for me it would mean that a bicycle would not be a viable means of getting to work,” she says and she also points out that Immofinanz offers its tenants its own Myhive bicycle system free of charge and as a result you can use all of these facilities even when you do not have your own equipment.

Developers, often after consulting with advisors and office users, introduce increasingly innovative systems to encourage office workers to cycle to work. Adam Targowski points out that elevators for bicycles, which were mentioned above, are still not very common, but they are certainly useful and convenient. He also mentions that the cycle parking facilities of the High5ive building in Kraków are open to everyone and not just the office users, which is not something normally done on a wider scale. “The building is next to a railway station, which creates more possibilities for transportation,” he explains.

But not every new system is such a huge success. “Such bicycle stands are often made of the wrong materials such as highly-finished stainless steel. Maybe they look attractive, but there’s nothing unusual about such stands damaging a bicycle. Quite often, hooks for bicycles up do not work well. Hanging a bike up is often rather troublesome because of its weight,” points out Adam Targowski.

Good for yourself and the world

Cycling is good for the health and also for the climate. This is why Skanska hopes that cycling will help it meet its environmental goals. “Riding on a bike not only is noise free, it also has no carbon dioxide emissions. From a global perspective, it’s a really good solution,” says Adam Targowski. Ewa Lis also gives another argument: “Riding to work on a bike more than replaces a strong morning coffee. It’s a hit of movement and energy. I would recommend it to everybody instead of caffeine!” she enthuses.