SA Water joined smarter travel @ work in 2007 and started the process by surveying staff.  The survey gave SA Water a baseline from which to improve.  The results identified how staff travelled to work, the barriers to reduced car use, and what might motivate staff to change their travel behaviour.  With the results of the survey SA Water developed a travel plan which included, amongst other things, a target of increasing the percentage of staff commuting to work by bicycle from 7% to 10%.

With a centrally located 6 star building, and an enthusiastic existing group of cycle commuters, SA Water was ideally placed to make this happen.

In June 2007, SA Water established its Bicycle User Group (BUG).  Through discussions and workshops, the BUG was able to establish that safety was a significant limiting factor for new cyclists. The focus of the project therefore turned to increasing the knowledge of safe cycling practices to interested staff.  Existing cyclists provided support and encouragement to less experienced cyclists, and all staff were encouraged to attend information sessions.

The BUG also identified a number of staff members who were contemplating cycling but had not yet had completed their first ride.  Additional incentives were offered to this target group.

In a concerted effort to motivate and encourage staff, the BUG adopted a number of initiatives. They

• used the intranet and flyers to promote cycling to and from work
• promoted Ride to Work Day using emails, posters and articles in the internal newsletter
• ensured any staff member who attended any program component was  invited to become a BUG member
• held a route planning workshop
• held a Ride to Work Day breakfast (which attracted more than 60 participants)
• with emails and flyers promoted the Tour De Work (where 55 SA Water staff registered and logged their rides to compete for the SA Water ‘yellow jersey’)
• purchased and installed a bicycle pump inside the basement bike cages
• installed a clothes line inside the bike cages for staff to hang up wet clothes and towels
• invited the police to present a detailed cycling safety and the law seminar
• with BikeSA and the police, ran a seminar on cycling in all weather conditions established a list of riders who had ridden for the first time since program  was launched