As Pittsburgh continues in its evolution to become a bike-friendly city, more and more cyclists are choosing to ride into work. And some companies, such as Google, Mullen Pittsburgh and Chemistry, are making it even easier to do.

“I’ve been riding to work for six years, and it’s amazing how many more people are doing it now,” said Geoff Tolley, chief creative officer, Chemistry. “Five years ago, the only people you saw were bike messengers now you see a lot of people commuting by bike. When you stop at a red light, there are two or three bikers there with you before, people looked at me like I was just weird. Now it’s much more common to see people riding to work.”

At Chemistry, an advertising agency in the Strip District, cyclists can bring their bikes into the building and park right outside their cubicles. The company also provides an annual allowance of $100 for cyclists who ride their bikes to work with some regularity to help out with bike maintenance or gear.

At the Google offices in Pittsburgh, cyclists can take advantage of secure bike storage on site, as well as shower facilities. Strip-based ad agency Mullen Pittsburgh provides shower and locker facilities, as well as a bike rack inside the facility for bike parking. “If riders meet a certain quota, they also get a $20 stipend each month, which serves as a little bit of an incentive that they can use however they want,” said Brian Bronaugh, president and executive creative director.

For a business to be truly bicycle-friendly, there are a number of criteria that they can follow to make it easier for employees to propel themselves to work. “We look at it from the foundation of the four E’s,” explained Lou Fineberg, program manager, Bike Pittsburgh. “The first is engineering: what kind of infrastructure does a business have to support cyclists? Do they offer changing areas? Lockers and showers? Bike parking?

“The second ‘E’ is for education,” he continued. “Bike Pittsburgh is willing to go to a workplace and share lessons learned with office staff, which is often very useful to new bike commuters, as well as those who have been riding for years.” The presentation takes the form of a conversation, and the organization also provides a Bike to Work guide on its website (www.bike-pgh.org) for anyone interested.

Employers are also encouraged to provide opportunities in the office for bike-to-work forums, which can take the form of maps posted in the workplace showing different routes that employees take. “A map can show where employees are commuting from, which can assist riders in creating a bike pool to provide greater visibility,” said Fineberg.

The third ‘E’ stands for encouragement, which are bike-friendly events and activities supported by employers. These can include participation in events like Bike to Work Day, Bike Month, Car Free Fridays and Bikefest.

“On a global level, Google has established a ‘Self-Powered Commuter Program (SPC),’ where anyone who bikes, walks, or self-propels themselves in any way to work earns points,” said Google Spokesperson Jordan Newman. “These points are translated into donations by Google to the charity of the employee’s choice. Approximately one in 10 Google employees takes advantage of the SPC program.” Google also offered a hot, healthy breakfast to its more than 1,000 employees around the world who participated in Bike to Work Day.

The last ‘E’ stands for evaluation. “When a business looks at itself, does it look at what it can do to become more supportive of its biking employees?” said Fineberg. “We are seeing a shift in values in respect to alternative transportation people are recognizing the impact that the fuel we use is having on the world. Biking to work can help users reduce carbon dioxide, save money and burn calories. And businesses should encourage not just bicycling as an alternative, but also walking, mass transit, and working in unison instead of driving alone to work.”

At Mullen Pittsburgh, employees have taken this sentiment to heart. “Our people enjoy biking, and knowing that, we’ve set up our business to encourage them,” said Bronaugh. “We believe that alternative transportation is a big contributor to a vibrant community, and it’s not just biking—one of our employees runs in from Penn Hills, and one kayaks to work.” Approximately 15 to 20 percent of Mullen’s workforce gets to work without driving.

In addition to providing a healthy physical alternative to sitting in a car, leaving one’s vehicle behind is also good for employees from an emotional standpoint, according to Bronaugh. “Biking, walking or kayaking help the creative mind to navigate the world in a way in which it doesn’t riding in a car,” he said. “Breaking out of that routine is good for the creative soul.”

“Why do people bike? I get home in less time than people sitting in their cars do,” added Tolley. “It keeps me healthy and gives me more energy. With increased awareness of environmental issues, more people are wanting to do their part. And personally, I’d rather be moving on a bike than sitting in a car.”

As for the outdated opinion that maybe it’s not as ‘cool’ to ride a bike to work as it is to drive a car, Tolley has this to say: “I don’t know what you can do to de-geekify it, though I do ride over Mt. Washington from Mt. Lebanon to get to work. Whoever thinks that’s geeky should try cycling over Mt. Washington.”