By Katrina Janco
Sarah Clark Stuart speaks to Bike to Work Day attendees on a rainy May 18
Bike Month may have officially ended yesterday, but our Bike-Phriendly Business awardees celebrate cyclists year-round!
In honor of Bike to Work Day on May 18th, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia honored three organizations that are committed to being bike-friendly. Each nominated organization was judged on the following criteria:
- Secure bicycle parking
- Bike-supportive employee facilities such as showers
- Bicycling encouragement program
- Bicycle Commuter Benefits (annual or monthly stipend)
- Bicycling culture in the office (regular commuters, listserv for employees to connect, riding club, support network for new riders)
- Business Member, Discount Partner or sponsor of the Bicycle Coalition
- Bicycle Coalition membership as a part of employment perks
One of the organizations to receive a Bike-Phriendly award was Earthjustice, a premier nonprofit environmental law organization, with the Philadelphia office containing the coal division that specializes in eliminating energy dependency on coal.
Last year, the office had its first Bicycoal Brigade, Earthjustice’s annual, month-long, bike challenge, which got every Philadelphia staff member and some Coal Program colleagues in other offices to cycle, with the typical rate of cycling being a third of employees.
Earthjustice employees were rewarded with bike tube patch kits and branded biking swag. In addition, Earthjustice created a Slack channel to connect bikers across the organization, and after the passage of the recent tax bill, Earthjustice made sure they would keep providing monthly bicycling benefit vouchers to their bike commuters.
Another business to be presented with this award was Urban Engineers, a multidisciplinary planning, design, environmental, and construction support services consulting firm headquartered in Philadelphia. This year, Urban Engineers sponsored the Vision Zero conference, and sent many of its employees to the event.
The firm was also named one of the top 25 companies for cyclists in the country by Bicycling. In addition, Urban Engineers designed an exclusive, securely fenced area adjacent to their Old City office for employees to park their bicycles. Urban Engineers also designed a fitness center with a changing room and showers, which promotes bicycling to work.
The final business to win this award was community favorite and beloved South Street institution Tattooed Mom.
Tattooed Mom is sure to be a familiar name, as they have hosted amazing bike community events like Cranksgiving and our 45th anniversary party. They also generously support our work. Tattooed Mom provides indoor space for staff to park their bikes, which is why it’s no surprise that half of its employees cycle to work.
We thank everyone for their nominations and for the companies that are becoming more Bike-Phriendly!