Community Toolkit > Transportation > Transportation Reduction > Bike/Work Programs

Bike to Work Programs

Brunswick, Maine

Community Profile: The town of Brunswick, Maine, is home to approximately 21,200 residents. It is situated near the coast in Cumberland County, with major employers such as L.L. Bean, Bath Iron Works, and MBNA. The local government is run by the Town Council. The town was awarded a Bronze recognition as a Bicycle Friendly Community by The League of American Bicyclists in October 2003 and again in October 2005 for the municipality’s efforts to provide safe accommodations for cycling as well as encouraging its residents to bike for transportation and recreation. 

Project Outline:

Bicycle commuting is a healthy, affordable, clean means of alternative transportation that benefits everyone with fewer emissions, less traffic, and less demand for parking. It also promotes healthier, more productive employees and sets a good example for all members of the community.

Bicycle commuting in Brunswick began way back in 1897 when a bike path was erected between the community and neighboring Bath. In 1998, Brunswick erected the Androscoggin River Bike Path, a 2.5 mile multi-use trail that runs along the river. The opening of this path coincided with the publication of Brunswick’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvement Plan.

The projects to improve the bicycling environment in Brunswick have been funded by both state and local government funds, as well as by private fund-raising among local community service organizations and grassroots groups.

To promote bicycle commuting in Brunswick, the Brunswick Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BBPAC) was formed. The group serves as an advocate to the town council for funding of new facilities and maintenance of existing facilities, as well as to sponsor the community family ride, identify preferred bicycle routes, prioritize future improvement needs, and offer advice to the city’s Planning Board on proposed zoning ordinance amendments to improve bicycle access to and within new residential and commercial developments.

The BBPAC meets every 4th Wednesday of the month to make non-binding recommendations on bicycle and pedestrian issues within Brunswick. The meetings are open to the public and also aired on local cable access. There are no set terms for committee members and vacancies are filled as they arise through advertisement on the Town Clerk’s website.

To help promote and encourage bicycling in your workplace, the Bike Coalition of Maine has produced an Employer’s Guide to Encouraging Bicycle Commuting that can be accessed here. The highlights include several strategies to increase employees participation:

• Bicycle Parking: Install a bike rack in a convenient location or designate a  storage room for bike parking. Use a rack that allows the bike frame to be       securely locked and if possible place under shelter from the weather.        
• Showers and Lockers: Make arrangements for cyclists to use showers and   lockers in the building or at a nearby facility such as a school or health club.
• Ride Matching: Set up a system to match interested employees with each other for “bike pooling” just as you might for car pooling.
• Provide Incentives: Rewards for those who don’t drive in to work alone such as

1. Cash payments equivalent to the value of free car parking       
2. Reimbursement for bicycle repairs or bicycle/bicycle accessory purchase
3. Free breakfast or snacks
4. Recognition in internal memos or publications
5. Other creative ideas, ask employees for suggestions

• Other Suggestions

1. Relax the dress code on certain days
2. Offer a Bicycle Commuting Course at the workplace, covering safety tips and skill-building for riding in traffic.
3. Make an information packet available to employees
4. Foster a Bicycle User Group (BUG) of interested employees to advise and suggest specific improvements
5. Spread the word on Bike to Work events
   

• The League of American Bicyclists also sponsors National Bike Month, National Bike Week, and Bike-Walk to Work Day. May is always the designated month for National Bike Month, with the third week being National Bike Week. For 2007, National Bike Week will be held May 14-18 with Friday, May 18, designated as Bike-Walk to Work Day.

Cost and Savings:

• Events for National Bike Month, Week, and Day will be announced as early as January, but most are announced during April and May. The League of American Bicyclists also offers Bike Month Grants in the amount of $1,000 to help communities in the promotion of National Bike Month. The criteria for grants varies from year to year so look for the new criteria in March or early April, about a month before the monies are dispersed.
• To calculate the environmental and cost benefits, including CO2 savings, offered by biking to work as opposed to driving, visit Bike Metro’s Reason’s to Commute by Bike calculators.
• Currently up for legislative debate is the Bicycle Commuter Act, which would extend the transportation fringe benefit, currently available to transit users and car drivers, to bicycle commuters. The legislation would provide a tax benefit to employers who offer cash reimbursements to an employee who commutes by bicycle, while helping defray the costs of commuting for the bicyclist.

Other Communities:

• Currently, the only other designated bicycle friendly community in the Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont area is Burlington, Vermont, which has also been given Bronze status by the League of American Bicyclists for its efforts to promote safe and accommodating bicycle commuting.

Downloads:

Employer’s Guide to Encouraging Bicycle Commuting

Bike Walk to Work Day Website (Contains Toolkit to set up in your community)