This is exciting news for me: Workplace showers!
It’s not an issue during the summer months, oddly enough, mostly because if I’m at work after riding I’m there alone. I’m not teaching and have lots of comfy, casual clothes and flip flops to wear about my office.
The teaching year is a different matter. I like to dress up a bit for teaching. I wear dresses and nice shoes. And I get that fans of European style commuting would just wear those clothes for the ride in. And some days, like today, I do just that. I wear a nice dress with bike shorts underneath and then spd sandals for riding. It worked well for today. It was about 20 C.
The problem with autumn in Ontario is that you get some really hot and sticky days. Last Monday one of us just about got heatstroke on our Port Stanley ride. So while it’s fall in terms of teaching, it still feels like beach weather lots of days.
So I’m excited about the following news!
For those faculty, staff, and postdocs who commute to campus on a bicycle, or like to get out at lunch for a jog, Living Well @ Western has arranged for day use lockers and showers to be available in the Thames Hall men’s and women’s locker rooms.
- Locker room are located in the basement of Thames Hall
- Doors to the locker rooms are generally open, but it is advised that those interested in using the locker rooms on a regular basis arrange to be granted key card access
- To arrange key card access, email livingwell@uwo.ca and provide your staff ID number (required to grant access)
- Day use lockers are marked with stickers
- Women’s: Lockers 101 to 156
- Men’s: Lockers 305 to 348
For more information, contact: livingwell@uwo.ca
That’s great! Accessible showers can really make a huge difference – one of the reasons I started running was that the best time of day for me to exercise at that time was on my lunch break, and the university where I work (Mac) has showers available in a few spots around campus, one of which happens to be the building next to mine. Not only was I able to start going out for runs at lunch (knowing I could easily take a quick shower after), a few other people from my office eventually started doing it too.
Structural/environmental variables. So important.
That’s wonderful. What an excellent idea. This totally encourages more environmentally friendly commutes to and from work. I wish there were more places of employment that had this lovely feature.
You look great, Sam.
No, I don’t plan to wear dresses, dress clothes while biking. It’s expensive to dress even petite people because..it’s tough to find professional business clothing at good prices. Just don’t want to stain, rip something I spent time hunting down in stores.
I work for a large municipality…3 showers @1 main headquarters office building that houses 2,000 employees (out of 14,000 employees)..that were put into place for last 4 years.
The reason is simple: Any fitness, showers for employees looks like luxury…to the taxpayers. This is why stuff like this flies under the radar. Meanwhile it’s us, the government for society’s health, etc., promoting cycling to work to the rest of the world as well building the separated bike lanes in the downtown core.
Thankfully we have a keyed access for bike cage for employees that houses approx. 140 bikes. They are looking to put another one hopefully at back of building. I was heartened to see bike racks for 40 bikes for 1 of our other work sites in an industrial area. (Sure municipal employees work out in the boonies/industrial kinda crappy areas.).
That’s great! When I was living in London this was my eternal big question (maybe because I consider myself a Cyclist)…. how can they manage cycling until work with nice dresses and suits? And the sweat? That’s a big revolution and another wonderful way to legitimate the bicycle not just as a recreational vehicle but as a proper vehicle for everyday use…. I hope it will be soon like that even in Italy, or in Malta (since now I am living here) …
You are beautiful keep up your fantastic work darlin:)