Announcing Wheels4Wellness
March 6, 2008
I’m pleased to join in this announcement of the House of Representatives new bike sharing program.
We intend to model our program after a long list of municipalities and companies that have instituted such programs. The House’s bike sharing program, which will be called Wheels4Wellness, or W4W for short, will give our employees a new commuting option and also a new way to get the exercise they need to remain healthy, productive members of our workforce.
Bike sharing won’t be a total solution to wellness and transportation problems, but it will create an important option for our employees.
Bike sharing will give our employees an opportunity to exercise during the day along the Mall. Or, it will enable our employees to go shopping, grab a quick lunch or complete an errand during the day.
We are currently in the process of selecting a vendor who will provide us with between up to 30 bicycles. These bikes will be available in self-service racks located conveniently across the campus. Employees will register for the program and that will enable them to access the bikes and borrow them right at the rack. Helmets will be provided and participation in the program will be a House benefit requiring the signing of a personal injury waiver form.
It is our hope to have this program in place by before May 21st which is the start of National Bike to Work week.
After we roll out this initial program, it is our hope to eventually expand the program to assist our employees who use the VRE and MARC trains for commuting which terminate at L’Enfant Plaza and Union Station.
The House is committed to providing our employees with an improved work-life balance. In terms of physical health and wellness, however, the demanding schedules and long hours many of our employees face often make physical exercise an unexercised afterthought. The Wheels4Wellness program will go a long way to addressing this problem.
