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Does your employer make it harder to be carfree?

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Living Car Free Do you live car free or car light? Do you prefer to use alternative transportation (bicycles, walking, other human-powered or public transportation) for everyday activities whenever possible? Discuss your lifestyle here.

Does your employer make it harder to be carfree?

Old 06-12-15, 09:31 AM
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Does your employer make it harder to be carfree?

For example, my employer just changed the site of mandatory training sessions to a facility it owns in an outer suburb. Both primary work locations are near the city center, so we now have to travel pretty far to attend training sessions. The only bus has quite limited service and stops about a half-mile from the training location. You have to transfer twice if you are taking the bus between either work site and the training site. This makes it very difficult for carfree/carlight employees to make it to the required training classes--especially if they want to go just before or just after the 7:00 shift changes that most employees have.

Actually, some employees who own cars were also complaining about this change, since they have to spend more for gas and some had scheduling conflicts with child care or school. Also, the employer ( a hospital) has moved some outpatient services to this remote facility. I had to get my daughter-in-law to drive me to a diabetes education class because I was too weak to walk the half-mile from the bus stop.

Does your employer do anything that makes it a little more difficult to be carfree or carlight in this car-centered culture?

(It would also be nice to hear from people with employers who have done something to make it easier to be carfree or carlight. Cheers to them!
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Old 06-12-15, 11:09 AM
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Mine (USDA) makes it easier: they pay for my bus passes. I still have to go 9 miles to the nearest place I can catch a bus, but that's not their fault, it's mine for choosing to live in the woods.
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Old 06-12-15, 11:17 AM
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Originally Posted by enigmaT120
Mine (USDA) makes it easier: they pay for my bus passes. I still have to go 9 miles to the nearest place I can catch a bus, but that's not their fault, it's mine for choosing to live in the woods.
That is a very nice perk. do any of your co-workers take advantage of it?
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Old 06-12-15, 01:20 PM
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Only coincidentally. When I first applied to where I work, they were located two blocks from where I live. By the time I got hired, they had moved to a different location 8 miles away.
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Old 06-12-15, 04:25 PM
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I'm not car free, but it seems my employer is doing all they can to encourage that. My employer took away my parking spot about 5 years ago. They will pay for public transportation (turns a 7 mile commute into a 1 hour ordeal.) They pay $20 month for bicycle commuting (that's the choice I have made.) They encourage tele-commuting (working from home.) If I'm required to use a car for business purposes, I can use my own (.50+ cents per mile reimbursement), rent a car and get reimbursed, or use public transportation and get reimbursed. It's rare that I have to use a car for business purposes that are more than a few miles from work.
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Old 06-12-15, 06:08 PM
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My employer changed the requirements of my job to include travel. It was a difficult decision to stay with the program or switch to a different job in the company. I could have bought a car and had the company pay for a big chunk of it by getting 50 cents a mile. But I decided to change jobs and not get a car, mostly to continue to be able to take care of my dog. As it is now, I come home every day for lunch to walk her. If I traveled, she would have been alone for twelve hour stretches, or in a kennel / doggie day care.
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Old 06-13-15, 03:57 AM
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Years ago, my employer wanted to throw the entire department out so they decided to relocate 50 miles into the suburbs. It required taking an additonal commuter rail and a bus to reach the new subdivision. I did this for 3 days and quickly found a new job. The commute alone was taking 2.5 hours a day!

There was only one person in the entire department who stayed.
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Old 06-13-15, 04:49 AM
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Most employers I've worked for have been pretty neutral to the idea of being car free/cycle commuting. Meaning, they don't go out of their way to make it easier but, they don't make it more difficult. I seem to see younger companies being more excited about this, than older industries.
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Old 06-13-15, 04:55 AM
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I may be the only car-free person at a company that employs several hundred. I don't expect my employer will deliberately make it difficult to be car-free. It's not even on the radar. The impact of changes imposed by my employer on a car-free lifestyle will be nothing more than the luck of the draw. For example my employer has showers that sort of naturally go with having a fitness center with exercise equipment. The showers were certainly not put there for the benefit of bicycle commuters (of which there is ONE at my company). But the showers are certainly a benefit nonetheless.

They are not trying to make car-free life easier, nor harder. Hopefully things will continue to be manageable. If not I'll buy a car!
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Old 06-13-15, 09:21 AM
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I don't think I've ever worked in a place where my employer has made it harder to be carfree.

My current job has a huge indoor bicycle parking facility + showers etc. and it is located just off the Cycleway. There's also good public transportation.

My previous job was in a small town, and it was very easy and convenient to walk to work. But they also provided bicycle parking and a shower if we needed it.

Back in Canada, my most recent "main" job was located out in the middle of nowhere with no public transportation, but they certainly didn't mind if we wanted to cycle, and I did occasionally in the summer.

Before that, I had a job that was very easy to commute to by bicycle or public transportation and that's exactly what I did for years. Mostly cycling ... occasionally walking or using public transportation.
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Old 06-13-15, 09:40 AM
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Originally Posted by Machka
I don't think I've ever worked in a place where my employer has made it harder to be carfree...

Back in Canada, my most recent "main" job was located out in the middle of nowhere with no public transportation, but they certainly didn't mind if we wanted to cycle, and I did occasionally in the summer.
I would probably count that as an employer who is making it very difficult (maybe impossible?) for most employees to be carfree. Even somebody as intrepid as you could only do it a few days a year!
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Old 06-13-15, 09:58 AM
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Originally Posted by Roody
I would probably count that as an employer who is making it very difficult (maybe impossible?) for most employees to be carfree. Even somebody as dedicated as you could only do it a few days a year!
I wouldn't. The employer didn't locate the facility out in the middle of nowhere in order to make it difficult for the employees. The employer located it there so that if there were an explosion, it would cause the least amount of damage possible. And also, it had the water and rail necessary for operation. Nothing to do with creating transportation issues for employees.

They did try shuttle busses etc., but the employees are on such different schedules that didn't work very well.

So instead, they encourage car-pooling, mainly, and if we wanted to cycle, we were more than welcome to do that. Several did cycle most most of the year ... they lived a little bit closer than I did. Also, they provided a fleet of bicycles and a couple shuttle busses to get around the plant site which was the size of a small town. They strongly discouraged driving on site ... and strongly encouraged walking, cycling or using the shuttle buses to get around the site.
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Old 06-13-15, 10:44 AM
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Finally, in some areas of 'public transportation' -- more employees (as my status be such) are being accepted at work. As those areas have been for so long from a few businesses that have made changed: want employees that want their own motor vehicles.
Because employers for so long, as likely still not feel comfortable of consistency via public transportation.
But The Main Reason, Against The Employers: being the type of human society that rides public transportation: criminals, low income, etc.
Such people that the Employers being against.
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Old 06-13-15, 11:21 AM
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My employer doesn't go out of their way to make it harder to be car-free, but they don't go out of their way to make it easier either. I've noticed (and been told), I'm the only person who commutes by bicycle. From what my supervisor told me, one of the reasons I was even hired was because I ride a bike there every day and that as far as the company's concerned it showed dedication to working for them.

Long story short, being car-free got me the job.

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Old 06-14-15, 11:50 AM
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I'm not car free, but yes my employer (which happens to be me) is making it hard to go car free. I recently bought a business 40-45 miles from my home. No public transit, too far to bike commute, and well the business is revolved around cars. I'm looking to relocate but nothing available has spiked my interest as of yet. Maybe someday, but in the meantime I enjoy being car light. I've been running every non-work related errand by bike for the past couple years and even had a short trial period of being car free last year.

Regarding my past employers, I don't think any of them would care about my choice of transportation so long as I showed up ON TIME. Granted I never choose a job further than 20 miles from home, which IMO is a nice round distance for a bike commute, and always had covered bike rack to use OR capable of parking my bike inside.
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Old 06-15-15, 06:06 AM
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Originally Posted by mr geeker
My employer doesn't go out of their way to make it harder to be car-free, but they don't go out of their way to make it easier either. I've noticed (and been told), I'm the only person who commutes by bicycle. From what my supervisor told me, one of the reasons I was even hired was because I ride a bike there every day and that as far as the company's concerned it showed dedication to working for them.

Long story short, being car-free got me the job.
It sounds like your employer has a progressive attitude. They might listen if you approached them with ideas of things they could do to make carfree commuting more popular there.
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Old 06-15-15, 05:27 PM
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My employer (a university) charges faculty and staff $194 for a fall/spring semester parking pass, $60 for summer parking, and $41 for parking over winter break. The neighborhood around the university has two hour parking, so it's not really convenient if you're working a full day.

It's a small town, so there's quite a few employees who walk to work. A few of us bike, too.
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Old 08-14-15, 09:48 AM
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My department is moving, and we're just starting to find out some information about where we'll be going etc. etc.

My manager and a delegation of people visited the new place today and when he returned, he told the group of us who work for him all about it.

Right in the middle of the discussion, he turned and looked at me and said, "I asked about bicycle parking, and yes, they do have bicycle parking." He hasn't seen it yet but it will be one of the things we explore. He also told us that there is one shower in our area.

But I had a bit of a smile when he said that. He cycles to work sometimes, and he knows I ride in general, but I have yet to cycle to work.

I have been thinking about it, but will probably need to get a bit stronger first. And then maybe I'll use the new bicycle parking facilities.
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Old 08-14-15, 07:01 PM
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My company travels to job sites all over the country. It is all but impossible to be car free and work for us. A few people have managed to do it, but they were able to catch rides with other employees or ride in a company truck. I have been able to use a bicycle to get to and from a few of my job sites that were near our hotels. But those were the exceptions. Now I travel 4-5 days a week 3 weeks a month, bicycling is not an option nor is mass transit. Given the current job market in my field I will put up with it for the time being. I have a bad habit of liking my 3 meals a day.

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Old 08-14-15, 07:07 PM
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Originally Posted by enigmaT120
Mine (USDA) makes it easier: they pay for my bus passes. I still have to go 9 miles to the nearest place I can catch a bus, but that's not their fault, it's mine for choosing to live in the woods.
Where I work you can pick up bus passes for $15. I use these a lot in the winter especially if we get a lot of snow. It's a great perk for me, but my employer has more room to grow without needing to expand parking...

Along with this, they have a lot of infrastructure for bicycles... shower, racks and a stipend if you make a certain # of commutes by bikes. I don't participate since I'm a contractor but it certainly increases the # of bicycles.
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Old 08-14-15, 07:14 PM
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My employer makes it easier by having good shower facilities. Lately it's even easier because in recent months I work at home.

That makes car free easier. It makes physical fitness more difficult however.
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Old 08-16-15, 07:05 AM
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Originally Posted by molten
But The Main Reason, Against The Employers: being the type of human society that rides public transportation: criminals, low income, etc.
Such people that the Employers being against.
I still remember my minimum wage jobs in the 80's. Employers would say, right in the interview, they they would not hire people who don't have a car. A bicycle was specifically mentioned as being unacceptable at one job. Of course, in those jobs I was low income and the expense of a car just made it worse.

I will say that any job I have had, that required a college degree, has not required a car. In the cases where I needed one, one was provided by the employer. At the same time, jobs that paid at, or no more than 50% over, minimum wage, frequently required a car and it wasn't uncommon to be required to use it for work related purposes.
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Old 08-16-15, 02:29 PM
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Originally Posted by Robert C
I still remember my minimum wage jobs in the 80's. Employers would say, right in the interview, they they would not hire people who don't have a car. A bicycle was specifically mentioned as being unacceptable at one job. Of course, in those jobs I was low income and the expense of a car just made it worse.

I will say that any job I have had, that required a college degree, has not required a car. In the cases where I needed one, one was provided by the employer. At the same time, jobs that paid at, or no more than 50% over, minimum wage, frequently required a car and it wasn't uncommon to be required to use it for work related purposes.
This seems to be standard operating procedure for most businesses that hire low wage people. The ones that can least afford it are the ones that are required to dedicate a substantial amount of their income to personal transportation. I recall having the same conversation with more than one place that I applied. No car, no job seemed to be their policy. In one case I actually had a car, but it didn't run, I neglected to mention that fact when interviewing. What was stupid about the whole thing was that I lived within walking distance of the job.

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Old 08-16-15, 04:43 PM
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Many years ago before I was a bike commuter my company moved from one location to another. At that time I didn't even realize how much of a benefit it would be to me in the future... Few years after moving to a new location I became a bike commuter and realized that it was the best move my boss could of done, because the new location is a little closer and I have more choices in what roads and routes to take. Another bonus is that I can keep my bike in my work area instead of locking it outside all day. I am enjoying this privilege of being able to bike commute everyday all year round. I know that if I ever change jobs or move to a different location I may not be able to bike commute everyday. For me, car-free and bike commuting is all about location.
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Old 09-05-15, 11:16 AM
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Mine accepts that some of their employees are car-free. I think close to 20% of the workforce I my location is car-free or car-lite (one car per family). They will schedule people around the difficult bus schedule, transfer people to other locations closer to home, etc. They don't provide official bike parking, but I'm able to lock mine in outside storage shed to keep it safe and dry. No questions other than, "Do you have reliable transportation?" were asked during the interview. I answered in the affirmative, and explained that I could walk there if necessary. Then, I asked about bike parking after I was offered the position.
They do not offer any of the fringe benefits like tax-free bus passes or bicycle expense reimbursements. I might ask them about it in the future.
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