New cycle shelter for RD&E staff
Staff at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital are now benefiting from improved cycling facilities to encourage them to get on their bikes and enjoy a greener and cheaper commute to work.
The hospital has just unveiled a new state of the art cycle shelter in the grounds of its Wonford site, just outside Bowmoor House. The shelter offers a secure and dry place for staff to keep their bikes while they are in work and includes swipe card access and armoured underground cabling to prevent thieves cutting the power supply to the gate and roof. The shelter has been funded by the RD&E Staff Lottery, with the help of match funding from Travel Devon.
The RD&E now has 1058 bike spaces, 80 of which are in the four secure shelters available only to staff. The shelters are part of a number of initiatives used by the Trust to encourage bike use through the RD&E’s Cycle to Work scheme.
The new shelter was officially unveiled by the RD&E’s Executive Director of Finance and Business Development Suzanne Tracey at an event attended by staff and representatives from Travel Devon.
RD&E Energy and Sustainability Manager Luke Mitchell said: “Encouraging staff to try out more sustainable ways of travelling to work is one of our key priorities. We hope that these new cycling facilities will inspire others to give it a go and feel reassured their bikes will be kept safe whilst on site. Our thanks go to the Staff Lottery and Travel Devon for making this possible.”
The RD&E is also gearing up for National Cycle Week (13th-21st June) and have a whole range of activities planned to promote cycling to work, including visits from travel advisors, cycling confidence sessions, Dr Bike appointments and security marking by the Police. In addition to this, staff from the hospital are taking part in the National Cycle Challenge (8th-22nd June), a country wide competition to get more people cycling.
Luke added: “There are some excellent individual and team prizes on offer, so I am hoping that we will get lots of entrants from the RD&E.”
To find out more about National Cycle Week visit www.bikeweek.org.uk or for more information on the National Cycle Challenge in Devon visit www.lovetoride.net/devon
