Left: Ali Jafarey, cycle officer for London heathrow
London Heathrow Airport claims to have hired the world’s first airport cycle officer in an attempt to persuade 16,500 local employees who live within 5km (3 miles) of the airport to cycle to work.
Ali Jafarey will take the lead on a one-year partnership between London Heathrow and Sustrans – a UK charity that encourages people to travel by foot, bike or public transport, by developing safer routes or improved links. The partnership will aim to make the airport’s cycle routes safer and more accessible, and train airport colleagues to feel more confident on their bikes.
In the first year Sustrans and Heathrow will publish a cycle strategy aligned with the wider West London Cycling strategy. This will be drafted in conjunction with local authorities and link Heathrow’s existing cycling network with corridors running to Feltham, Chiswick, West Drayton, Hayes, Slough and Staines.
Theo Panayi, sustainable travel manager for Heathrow, said, “We are looking forward to the partnership with Sustrans, which will make the airport’s cycle routes safer and more accessible, helping many of our 16,500 colleagues who live locally feel more confident about making the journey to the airport on their bikes.”
James Scott, program manager for workplace behavior change, Sustrans, said, “Heathrow is the largest center of employment in west London and is uniquely placed to deliver changes to the cycling experience in our region.
“Our one-year cycle partnership project will help make cycling to work the easy choice for staff, enabling them to travel more sustainably, and ease congestion and emissions on local road networks. I look forward to seeing the changes that we create to deliver a great cycling experience, and improve employee wellbeing.”
