These Countries Are PAYING You to Cycle

It has earned a reputation as a cycling hotspot, with the number of bicycles (23 million) exceeding its population (17 million), who account for a higher proportion of bike trips (25%) than any other. any other country.

But now the Netherlands has gone even further, trying to encourage more people to join one of its biggest crazes.

Leading country Netherlands

In fact, they even pay people to do it. According to an announcement at the end of 2018, the Dutch government will spend around 390 million euros on cycling infrastructure to encourage an additional 200,000 people to cycle to work by 2021.

Fifteen routes are set to become “bicycle highways” to provide better service to those wishing to cycle, while 25,000 additional bike parking spaces will be created and more than 60 facilities available. storage facilities will be improved.

The infrastructure secretary told HuffPost Stientje van Veldhoven, the project’s initiator: “Biking is good for reducing traffic congestion, good for air quality in cities, and good for people’s own health. “And it can save you money – you can save hundreds of dollars a year. So there is a big advantage for your wallet.

Currently, there are really big advantages to your income if you are a cyclist in the Netherlands. Since 2006, some companies reward cyclists with a tax credit of €0.19 per kilometer, the distance of a cycling route agreed between the companies and their employees. So, if you cycle 10 kilometers a day for five days a week, you can earn around €

50 per year through the program.

But, as mentioned earlier, a quarter of trips in the Netherlands are done by bicycle, only 25% of these are commuting, while 37% are done for recreational cycling.

According to van Veldhoven, more than half of Dutch people live less than 15 km from their workplace and more than half of their car journeys are less than 7.5 km; “could easily be cyclical,” she says. And of course, bringing in 200,000 more cyclists in the Netherlands will have more benefits than just improving people’s lifestyle and fitness. A 2010 NASA study found that cars are the world’s biggest cause of climate change pollution. With this in mind, the program should also do a lot not only to reduce traffic problems but also to limit the pollution emitted by cars.

Paying countries like the Netherlands

For example, in January 2019, Bari, Italy announced that it would offer cyclists €0.21 per kilometer to cycle to work, even though their government-funded program is limited to around 25€ per month. They also offer up to around €155 for the purchase of a new bike or €255 for a new e-bike.

And elsewhere in Italy, in November 2015 the town council of Massarosa (just north of Pisa) set up a pilot scheme that pays cyclists €0.25 per kilometer traveled, up up to a monthly limit of €50.

Meanwhile, in France, passengers can claim €0.25 per kilometer, up to an annual cap just above the €200 mark. However, it was not well received, with some wondering whether in the end it justifies the means with these rather small rewards; indeed, the six-month trial period in the country was only moderately successful, with the number of regular cyclists only dropping from 200 to

19 by the end of the year. Belgium has been more successful with its own scheme, which has the oldest financial incentive system for cyclists, first introduced in 1999. It offers cyclists 0.2

€ per kilometer and has increased the number of cyclists nationwide in recent years. In fact, according to the European Federation of Cyclists, the number of people cycling to work and getting their credits increased by 30% between 2011 and 2015.

And in New Zealand, Christchurch-based advertising agency Make Collective began offering employees bicycles to and from work for $5 a day in early 2018. over six months, their rewards double to $10 a day. days, paid as a bonus at the end of the year. According to the council, Christchurch has more cyclists than any other city in the country, with 13 major cycling routes through the city centre.

ByCycling – The App Which Rewards Your Cycling

Are you regularly cycling to and form but not based in any of those places? Well, all is not lost; thanks to the ByCycling smart phone app.

ByCycling automatically trackers your cycling day by day on your phone, and encourages you to ditch sitting endlessly in your car in stationary traffic for more active time when commuting.

By riding your bike to work, you can earn extra money or days off as part of your employer’s commuter benefit programme.