Tradies on Wheels

Firstly a quick quiz to kick off the post.  Pick the odd word out. Tradies: Contractors: Utes: Vans, Hi-vis: Work boots: Bicycles.  Ok, so you can’t drive and ride at the same time, but my latest effort of trend spotting turned up that there are a few tradies around Melbourne who prefer to park and ride to their CBD work sites.  

I met 3 building site workers early one morning as they were saddling up to ride to their CBD building site.  They parked their cars in an unrestricted parking are about 4km from the city.  They leave their tools secured stored onsite to avoid the need of hauling them in and out of their cars.  Pictured below is Darren, who along with workmates Daniel and Francis combines their preferred modes of transport on a daily basis.  The guys were also good enough to give me their pros and cons of riding

The pros

·       Saving on Parking.  In the city costs at least $15-20 a day or $4 to 5,000 a year, that's not a bad start especially if you're an apprentice and it’s not tax deductable 

·       Getting some exercise on the way to work and feeling warmed up ready to work

·       One less car on the road, at least in the CBD means less congestion and pollution

·       Happy workers, who haven’t had to contend with congestion

·       Unwinding on the bike after a day on the tools, before getting in the car to drive home

The cons

·       Secure bike parking on CBD building sites is not often considered part of the site setup

·       Having the wheels taken from his bike whilst parked onsite

·      Need a tool? You can't just drop back to your van or ute to pick up that piece of equipment, however I’m sure there’s a message in there to be very organised

My occasional other early morning commutes on the train have also revealed building industry workers on bikes.  Using a bike to bridge the transport gap between home and the railway station and railway station and building site is a really effective way to reduce travel time and be active at the same time.  Great thinking by these people to leave their dependency for four wheels parked at home.

I took my research further and spoke to my cousin who is a regular cyclist and has worked in the building trade for the past 25 years.  The good news is that most building sites will have a change room which includes shower facilities.  Early bird parking does not work for trades people who start and finish early.  The newer city buildings now have included an End of Trip Facility which includes secure bike parking, lockers, showers, bike repair facilities with work stand, pump and tools.  Companies aspiring to be employers of choice such as BUPA, Medibank Private, NAB and AGL are providing these options because they know staff will feel more valued. 

So while many of us harbour the stereotypical image of ute and van driving tradies having to be prised out of their vehicles for their daily commute, some are embracing the message of active transport.  Recent research on those who use a combination of transport options such as walking or cycling and public transport revealed those people enjoyed healthier lives and better long term health outcomes.  Which leads me to pose the question what are unions and employers doing to promote active transport amongst their members and staff?  It would be great to hear from those in the building industry about what would get you using cycling as active transport.