The League of American Bicyclists has announced their newest Bicycle Friendly Business ratings, and Seattle Children’s leads the way in Washington State.
And that should come as no surprise to anyone following all the work the hospital has done recently to encourage employees to bike to work. They went way beyond just providing quality bike parking and other amenities like showers.
Seattle Children’s funded safe streets projects in the neighborhood, including one of the city’s first neighborhood greenways on 39th Ave NE. They built a new trail connection to the Burke-Gilman and a protected bike lane to help complete the connection to their campus. Their theory was that if you help create safe and comfortable bike routes, their employees will be more likely to bike. And, no surprise, they were right.
They also helped sponsor Pronto Cycle Share and, most recently, opened an on-site bike shop offering employees free tune ups and discounted repairs while they work.
Apparently, that’s what a “Platinum” level bike-friendly business looks like, according to the League. Seattle Children’s is the only business in Washington State to receive that rating and one of only 20 in the nation. In fact, they are the only medical center in the country to receive the top rating and one of only five employers with more than 500 employees to reach Platinum. So, every other major employer in the area, the bar has been raised. Your move.
WA Bikes lays out the rest of the new and upgraded businesses: (more…)
The city completed work on some significant upgrades to two busy Burke-Gilman Trail intersections near University Village in recent months.
