Case studies
- Environmental responsibility
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TI bicycle commuting goes global
 In 2009, one early morning in May, on the hot, muggy streets of Kuala Lumpur, more than 20 TI professionals navigated to work on bicycle, many for the first time. They pedaled amid high rises and congested traffic, next to motorcycles, taxis and buses.
Bicycle commuting is rare in this city of 6.9 million people. TI employees more often choose motorized transportation, perhaps because of the country's frequent afternoon rains or the social stigma.
But on TI's first globally recognized Bike to Work Day, employees gave bicycle commuting a try. One hardy TI employee traveled 21 kilometers to get to the office. A welcoming committee greeted cyclists that day with free T-shirts commemorating the event, along with breakfast and certificates of recognition.
Malaysian TIers joined more than 50 other employees at U.S. and Japanese sites for Bike to Work Day. It was a solid start to what the current volunteer Bike to Work coordinator, Craig Herteg, hopes will become a larger movement at TI sites globally.
"A few years ago, Bike to Work Day started with a small group of cyclists in North Texas who were concerned about their health, regional pollution or just wanted to try a safe alternative to commuting by car with the camaraderie of other cyclists," Herteg said. "As these issues are of growing importance at sites globally, we know the number of participants will continue to grow."
All told, employees cycled nearly 1,300 miles on the 2009 Bike to Work Day.
"Even in the heat and traffic of Kuala Lumpur, it was a rewarding experience, and to see so many new cyclists give it a try was great," said Pat Webb, manager of TI Malaysia Environmental, Safety and Health.
A few reasons employees leave their car at home
TI recognizes that cycling isn't just good for employees – bringing them to work refreshed and adrenaline-pumped for the day. It's also good for the environment, through reduced traffic congestion and emissions.
Cyclists who participated in the 2009 Bike to Work Day, for instance, eliminated more than half a ton of equivalent carbon dioxide emissions (CO2e) from the atmosphere by riding their bikes. CO2e is a unit of measurement for greenhouse gas emissions.
TI supports bicycling by maintaining bike racks at every building. Some facilities also provide on-site showers. And our company-supported on-site fitness centers give cyclists a free month of membership with a six-month membership.
TI also supports the broader community of cyclists through group e-mail lists on the topic of recreational cycling, competitive cycling and bicycle commuting. In addition, TI's Commute Solutions team, which supports all forms of alternative transportation, also maintains a bike-to-work Web page. Herteg, an avid cyclist who serves as a SCADA/servers manager in TI's Worldwide Facilities department, helps TIers map safe bike routes to work, although TI does not officially endorse the routes as safe.
"I take it as part of my job to promote biking to work, and to just encourage people generally," Herteg said.
Our support of bicycle commuting is part of a global effort to get people out of their cars. We spend more than $1 million a year subsidizing employee mass transit and on-site shuttle buses to transport employees between North Texas campuses. We also fund buses to transport workers at our Philippines plants to and from the city. And in France, we help organize carpooling and mass transit options.
In Texas, TI also works with local governments to encourage the installation of bike trails near sites. A bike trail was constructed to serve our newest fabrication plant in Richardson, Texas, which opened in late 2009.
The Cottonwood Trail
In 2010, cycling to the company's Dallas campuses (where roughly a third of TI employees work) should become even easier with the completion of the Cottonwood Trail. The 4-mile trail will run under the busy High Five interchange in central Dallas, connecting to a larger network of trails. For many years, the trail has had four missing links, totaling 1.5 miles.
Over the past five years, TI has contributed project management support to the $6.5 million project, a joint effort between the cities of Richardson and Dallas, Dallas County and the Texas Department of Transportation.
We also provided seed money to kick off the project and matched employee donations to the campaign.
"This trail will provide our employees with another commute alternative," said Liz Moyer, a retired TI Environmental, Safety and Health manager. "They can contribute to cleaner air in Dallas and get some exercise as well."
In late 2009, Herteg was already planning the next Bike to Work Day for employees worldwide. "Cycling to work has so many benefits," he said. "It reduces the sting of high gas prices, it is a great way to get your daily exercise, and it helps reduce harmful air emissions, since you aren't driving a single-occupant car to the office."
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