Costa Rica’s state-owned Banco Nacional has taken steps to encourage employees to bicycle to work, reported the entity this week.

The initiative, launched this year at the bank’s downtown main and La Uruca offices, includes a bike parking area, dressing rooms with showers, and lockers, said Carlos Abarca Rivera, deputy general manager of operations.

This year 10 – 15 employees have been cycling to the main office, which has installations to accommodate up to 40 bike commuters, and five have started cycling to work at the La Uruca office, said Abarca Rivera, who added that a combination of people’s desire for exercise and the congested roads have motivated this lifestyle change.

With a view to “mitigating vehicular congestion, improving health, and decreasing our carbon footprint,” the institution leads the banking industry in Costa Rica on encouraging bike commuting.

Known as “BN Cletas,” the project contributes to the bank’s commitments to “responsible care of the environment, by reducing the carbon footprint; and promoting organizational health, by encouraging physical activity.”

The bank’s goal is to offer BN Cletas at other bank offices, and Abarca Rivera said he expects the trend to catch on even more quickly in areas outside the metropolitan area.