FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

1) My organisation is not a business, can we write in?

Absolutely, individuals and any organisation can respond.

Any organisation that employs people in London will be affected to some degree by these plans, so it’s important that you speak up. Is your employer is a university? A hospital? A school or a non-profit? Have your Chief Executive or a similarly senior member of the team write in.

2) What objections might I hit internally?

Firstly let us stress that the best approach to this it to talk to other cyclists in the company and then ask your MD directly.  This is an employee safety issue and managing directors care about the safety of staff.  

The following are some objections you might have voiced to you with some ways to respond.

a) It’s too political – This is an employee health and safety issue as well as an environmental one and it may be worth looking at your company CSR statement to see how it links into your principles.

b) It’s not a COMPANY issue – Actually this is very much a COMPANY issue.  Given the number of cyclists at your company in London, your employees need this type of infrastructure to get to work safely.

c) ‘I am a cyclist and I don’t need cycles lanes’ – Some cyclists in your company (and possibly some of the most high-profile cyclists) MAY feel super confident about cycling on performance bikes in traffic.  There is a mountain of evidence that most people don’t want to cycle in these conditions or feel scared if they do.  The plans are about cycling for everyone.

3) Are you a new cycling advocacy organisation?

No. Organisations that want to get more seriously involved in cycling advocacy in London should consider joining the excellent London Cycling Campaign. LCC offer corporate membership.

We simply represent the views of businesses that are speaking up publicly for the right of their staff to cycle safely to work.

6) Who is behind this initiative?

Chris Kenyon – Chris has lived in London for 40 years, is a father of two and leads sales and business development at Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu. Chris joined Canonical in 2006 and has helped the business grow from 35 employees to a team of 650 doing business globally. When he is in the UK, he travels to work by bike.

Danny Williams – Danny works in the city in financial information. In his spare time, he is a prolific and respected commentator on travel issues in the City of London via his blog, Cyclists in the City.

Dr Tabitha Tanqueray – Dr Tanqueray is a consultant anaesthetist with a special interest in obstetric anaesthesia, medical education and simulation training.  She practices at Homerton Hospital and cycles to work from home in North London.

Nick Kocharhook – Nick is a American who has fallen in love with London. He is a software developer by profession and gets to work in central London everyday by bike. Twitter.

Jono Kenyon – Jono is a lighting designer based in North London and founder of Beam Lighting Design . He works in a variety of London’s most interesting venues and gets around predominately by bicycle.