Bicycle Friendly Business

SAP Labs- La Crosse | Bronze Level

Business Highlights: In an effort to generate buzz about bicycling throughout the office, SAP Labs encourages bicycle commuters to hang their bicycle helmet or something bicycle-related on the coat rack to trigger conversations about biking and encourage people to bike to work. The Lab also promoted a photography bicycle-themed assignment, where colleagues were invited to submit a photo for critique that they took during bike month of anything bicycle-related. The Lab organizes a ride during Bike to Work Week called the lunch-time burrito ride to get downtown bicycle commuters to network and get to know each other. Office-wide rides and other bicycling information are promoted through the company’s bicycling commuter forum and wiki. Employees at SAP are members of the Driftless Region Bicycle Coalition, the La Crosse County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, and the City of La Crosse Bicycle Planning Bicycle Commuter Steering Committee. They also help maintain trails at the Human Powered Trails, and clean-up the city trails after La Crosse's Oktoberfest. SAP Labs organizes a bicycle commuter class in both the spring and fall to go over safe riding skills, traffic laws and winter riding. They had the transit service bring a bus to the class site so attendees could practice loading and unloading a bicycle on the bus’s bicycle rack. Other bike commuters invest their time listening and helping other colleagues to start bike commuting, or better their bike commuting experience.

Most Compelling Bike Related Accomplishment: For the third year in a row, SAP Labs- La Crosses won the Driftless Region Bicycle Coalition's Golden Helmet Award for the largest percent of employees who bike to work, in the 100+ employee category. Participation in the past 3 years at SAP Labs has steadily increased from 5 pecent in 2008, to 8 pecent in 2009 and 10 percent in 2010.

Upcoming Plans: SAP Labs is working on increasing both social and training group rides and creating an online bicycle tool loan application where people can loan and borrow tools. On their LCD display monitors in the hallways, they will soon display: 1) bicycle commuter profiles and why they ride, 2) WI bicycle and driver-bicycle related laws, 3) guaranteed ride providers, and 4) bicycle commuter mentor contacts.