The Trust has an active travel plan policy and is keen to promote healthy and sustainable modes of transport for staff, outpatients and visitors to its sites at Northwick Park/St Mark’s (NPSM) and Central Middlesex (CMH) hospitals.
Our Cycling Action Plan is an important part of the Travel Plan, we have signed up to the Cycle to Work Guarantee scheme, implemented a Cycle to Work Scheme and increased the bike rate for business travel to 20p per mile. To support these initiatives, secure cycle parking has been provided at CMH and are seeking to improve secure facilities for cycles at NPSM.
Promotion of these initiatives has been through intranet, Bicycle User Groups at both sites and internal and external publications.
Despite this, the increase in the number of staff cycling to work has not matched expectations, and there is a need for a focused campaign to promote cycling. The campaign will specifically appeal to occasional cyclists and those who could cycle but don’t. Key messages will emphasise the facilities which the Trust has provided for secure cycle parking (including a new secure bike park at CMH and – subject to TfL funding support – a similar facility at NPSM), location of changing and shower rooms, and it will improve awareness of new and improved cycle routes which have recently been provided by Brent and Harrow Councils to both sites.
Update: We held two Dr Bikes sessions at Central Middlesex Hospital on 22 March and Northwick Park Hospital on 23 March, run by Cycle Training UK. The two sessions were held at lunch times and a total of 20 bikes were checked and advice given to their owners by the CTUK trainers. At the same time we launched two leaflets, one for each site, to encourage more cycling and a copy is attached. (They are printed as reversible one third A4 size leaflets, as some staff cover both sites). We are distributing copies as part of travel information at racks in the hospitals, but will send them with joining information to new starters, especially the August intake of junior doctors, and include on the intranet.Use of all bike stands is now monitored each month and this will enable us to measure growth in use of bicycles, which will be quantified as the campaign progresses
We are preparing a bigger campaign than previously for this year's London Cycle Challenge, including a Dr Bike session in preparation for the event. For the first time there will be a cycle promotion event at our open day on 9 July and are planning two further Dr Bike sessions for this. Staff are interested in helping promote and participate in charity cycle rides for internal and external causes. We are working more closely with London Borough Of Brent (a Biking Borough) which has designated Northwick Park as one of their cycling hubs, through which we hope to attract better promotion and more funding. We are also planning a joint cycle promotion initiative with University of Westminster to coincide with the start of the new academic year in the early autumn. The cycling action plan parts of University and Hospital travel plans will be updated to include this and we hope for further joint initiatives in future.