Much to the delight of some local commuters, the French government has initiated a six month experiment that pays people to cycle to work.
France joins other European governments trying to increase bicycle use, to improve people's health, reduce air pollution and
cut fossil fuel consumption.
Several countries like the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Belgium and Britain already have bike-to-work schemes with incentives that include payment per kilometer, financial support to buy a bicycle and tax breaks.
In France more than twenty companies employing over ten thousand people have already signed on to pay their staff 25 Euro cents or 34 US per kilometer to cycle to work.
If the idea has wheels France is likely
to keep it rolling...
And to think I'm riding my bicycle for free.
ReplyDeleteThe Wellington Regional Council offered a discount on folding bikes for a short time a year or two ago. I am not sure what the objective was.
ReplyDeleteI remember a man being run over by a bus in the city , the middle of Cuba street. Be to scary for me I think .
DeleteFor the "FUN" of it Sixbears..like many other things we do...
ReplyDeleteGood Blog Keith, keep doing all the "FUN" things you do..
I'd stop walking the 1.2k to work and start cycling, but it's hardly worth getting the helmet and high viz gear on.
ReplyDeleteEncouraging people to cycle is a great idea, but the UK is woeful in adopting safe cycle routes, I'd love to do the school run on bikes, but it means cycling along the most busy main road at rush hour ,
ReplyDeleteThe Dutch know how to do this, put in the infrasturcture - when we were over there cycling was a joy we didn't get in the car from one week to the next
In a country (Denmark) where the highest point is about 174 metres it's natural to jump on the bike. But many people are lazy. With the purpose to work for better health, less pollution and so on, there is a vision in my municipality (Randers) to be a biking city. We have biking ambassadors to promote biking. We are getting more nice cycle paths, Places with drinking water and air pumps are established. Schools are making competitions to persuade parents biking together with their children instead of driving them to school. If you have more than 5 km to Work it's possible to borrow an electical bike but unfortunately there are to few of them. So we are firmly stricken of the fever
ReplyDelete