Are these the best workplace facilities for bike commuters in the UK?

Are these the best facilities for bike commuters in the UK? Well, CyclingScore – a certification agency which rates residential and commercial buildings according to their friendliness for active travel users, whether they are on a bike, scooter, skateboard or walking or running believes it is.

In fact, when rating the cycling facilities installed as part of the £2.3-million refurbishment of the 18-storey Castlemead office block in Bristol – the city’s tallest office building – it had to devise a new platinum category, with the building achieving a 100 per cent rating.

The main pictures here are CGI generated ... but as the tweet below shows, the designs have been translated into reality.

World's first @CyclingScore Platinum 100 facilities delivered at Castlemead, Bristol. New Tour de France themed project allows 600+ people to travel to and from work every day emission free. @Chris_Boardman https://t.co/UZCC0gI6m7 pic.twitter.com/gIXIwqOMcG

— Greg Davison (@GD15500659) May 24, 2021

Writing on LinkedIn, Greg Davison of the Floreat Group, which led the redevelopment, said that the building now has “unparalleled tenant amenities,” including “new best in class cycle and changing facilities in an unused basement.” 

Themed around cycling iconography including the Tour de France and rainbow bands, facilities include 341 cycle parking spaces, four Brompton hire bikes, 18 new showers and changing rooms, 400 lockers, a huge drying room, secure cycle entrance and lift, and 12 EV chargers.

The Castlemead website says:

Working with CyclingScore, the leading certification body for cycling facilities, the basement has been transformed into a welcoming Tour de France themed micromobility hub with world-beating end of ride facilities.

A variety of racking solutions will cater for all current and future modes of active travel from bikes to e-scooters and more. High quality showers, comfortable changing rooms, a drying room and digital z-lockers form the core facilities of this ambitious project.

E-bike charging points, a bike maintenance area and slip-resistant flooring are some of the details that add up to a perfect 100/100 CyclingScore. The availability of Brompton Bike Hire and other engagement services via Castlemead’s dedicated online portal and app puts the facilities in a league of their own.

The big unknown at the moment, of course, is whether the facilities will be fully utilised once life returns to a semblance of normality post-pandemic.

The government may be encouraging people to choose active travel over public transport and private cars for their commutes as part of the country’s recovery, but at the same time there are widespread predictions that even once offices are fully reopened, staff who have been working from home over the past 14 months or so will continue to so at least for part of the week, with some businesses even moving primarily to a remote working model.

Nevertheless, the facilities certainly look impressive, and while there has been a definite trend in recent years for commercial developments to provide decent facilities for those who choose to come to work by bike, from the pictures it does seem to take it to the next level – unless you know better, and if so, let us know in the comments below.

Pictures via castlemeadcabotcircus.com