As we ease our way into new routines, many people are looking at alternative ways of getting to and from work on a longer term basis. The last few weeks have focused many minds on the benefits of a taking a more active way to travel around towns and cities. This is, of course, much easier to do when there are fewer time pressures and the weather is fine, but as we start to move about more for work and to meetings, it becomes obvious that there needs to be some rapid changes in town and city planning to allow and indeed encourage people to walk or cycle as their default mode of getting about.

The plea, especially in London, to avoid public transport may have led to a dramatic increase of bikes on the roads, but it has also led to an increase in cars – which does not always lead to happy cycling. This may be due to the fact that a safe infrastructure in inner city areas is simply not there yet although there are reports of positive action on this by many local authorities. As employers (and bike enthusiasts!) we do as much as we can to make finding alternative transport easier for our staff, and strive to encourage as many as possible to opt to cycle to work – by providing safe indoor bike storage and facilities – and of course try to lead by example by cycling as often as possible to and from both work, daytime meetings and even site visits.

That’s one of the main reasons we’ve been enthusiastic supporters of Velocity magazine since its inception, (issue #5 out now). Velocity provides Symmetrys with a platform to voice our passion for the environment, sustainability, and in turn shout about the huge benefits of cycling, not just for your health but also through connecting with others in the industry.  Symmetrys is eagerly anticipating The Annual Mountain-fest hosted exclusively for the partners of V. For three days at the end of June, along with the other Velocity partners, we will be heading to Corvara, home of the Maratona race and some mighty climbs!