We are proud to join a group of the country’s top companies as recipients of an award from The League of American Bicyclists.
At Iteris, our raison d’être, the thing that drives us daily, is seeking to infuse our technological innovations into people’s everyday lives. We have always been a bike-aware company and have a long history of encouraging and incentivizing associates to use alternative modes of transport to travel to and from work. But, as we celebrate the honor of being named a bronze Bicycle Friendly Business by The League of American Bicyclists, it gives us pause to reflect on and appreciate the fruit of a culture that has been years in the making.
A shared culture of technological ingenuity
National Bike Month in May gave us the perfect opportunity to shine a light on issues we feel strongly about:
- Safety and efficiency: reducing traffic congestion and improving roadway safety have been core tenets since we introduced the first-ever nationwide intelligent transportation system architecture back in the 1990s. It has powered our learning and discovery through our deployment of the first personalized traveler information system in the early 2000s and, even more recently, the introduction of SmartCycle, our patented bicycle detection system, and PedTrax, our integrated pedestrian counting technology, which show our commitment to initiatives like Towards Zero Deaths to give one example.
- Health and quality of life: that’s not to pat ourselves on the backs, although we can’t give enough credit to the world-leading Iteris engineers and data scientists who made these innovations possible; it’s just to say that while we take pride in investing in our team members’ health and quality of life, improving public safety through the innovative application of new technology is in our DNA.
Convenience is key
Our bike racks, bike storage lockers and Fixit Station are all excellent workplace improvements that ensure we continue the trend of including bicycling initiatives that enhance our position in the community and provide myriad benefits for employees that choose to bicycle to and from work.
“With all the congestion surrounding our main office in Santa Ana, we are pleased to offer options and amenities for our employees so that they have choices when commuting to work,” says Jeff McDermott, Senior Vice President of Human Resources at Iteris. “Iteris is an incredible company to work at, and we strive for improving all facets of our company, including alternative transportation options for healthier living.”
Employee passion and engagement
One of the newest improvements at Iteris wasn’t a top-down initiative. In fact, the idea came from our internal Thriving Communities contest, where we call upon associates to submit ideas we can implement at a corporate level to help encourage community outreach and involvement, or just something fun and beneficial to introduce in the workplace.
The winning submission was to launch an Iteris-branded bike share program – and we did just that this past May at our headquarters in Santa Ana, CA. The company also has plans to expand the bike share to other offices around the country and is exploring other incentive options to help encourage more people in the company to choose alternate modes of transportation for commuting to work.
Moving forward, Iteris will have access to a variety of tools and technical assistance from the League to become even more bicycle friendly.
When our employees bike, great things happen – including but not limited to improved health, less vehicles on the road, a lower carbon footprint and a fun and healthy work culture that encourages others to ride to work.
Our thanks to The League of American Bicyclists, who said:
“The League of American Bicyclists is excited to recognize this latest group of new and renewing Bicycle Friendly Businesses for making their workplaces and their communities safer, happier, healthier, and more sustainable through bicycling,” said Amelia Neptune, Director of the Bicycle Friendly America program. “We applaud these businesses, including Iteris, for leading the charge in creating a more bicycle-friendly America for everyone.”
To learn more about the Bicycle Friendly Business program, visit the League online at www.bikeleague.org/business.
About the Author:
David Sadeghi is Digital Marketing Manager at Iteris.
