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Italian town pays people to cycle to work

Scheme is being funded by fines collected from traffic tickets

The Italian town of Massarosa is offering to pay people to cycle to work instead of using their cars, reports Il Tirreno. The pilot scheme will see cyclists paid 25 cents per kilometre travelled up to a daily maximum of €6 and €50 monthly.

Places are limited in the first year with €30,000 having been set aside. Entry is on a first-come, first-served basis, but no more than 10 workers from the same organisation can apply. The cost of the project has been met by fines collected from traffic tickets in the town – by law this money has to be reinvested in road safety.

Those involved will have their movements tracked via a mobile app and once their journeys have been checked, payments will be made once every six months. As well as cycling directly to work, participants can also cycle to a railway station and then continue via public transport – although obviously they will only be paid for the proportion of their journey undertaken on two wheels.

In 2014, the French government launched a pilot scheme under which people were paid to ride a bike to work. Companies and organisations that together had 10,000 employees were involved with those who chose to cycle paid 25 cents per kilometre.

The BBC reports that while paying people to cycle to work did increase the numbers doing so, the majority who switched had previously been using public transport. Of those who made the move from cars to bikes, most had been carpooling.

Earlier this year it was revealed that in 2014 a record number of people had taken advantage of the UK’s Cycle to Work scheme, whereby employees can save up to 40 per cent of the total cost of a new bike through paying for it from their pre-tax income. The 11.6 per cent increase in uptake meant that it was the second record year in a row, but while the scheme has certainly been a success in terms of selling bikes, some have questioned what proportion of those sales have resulted in new cycle commuters.

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6 comments

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The goat | 8 years ago
1 like

Excellent idea.

For anyone on Nottinghamshire - I found out yesterday that there is consultation on a 2015 cycling strategy - closing date date is the the 20th November.

http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/planning-and-environment/walking-cycli...

It's rather dry and could do with sharpening up.  This would be a useful addition and a lot more positive than the charge of £375 for workplace parking.

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Colindp | 8 years ago
0 likes

My employer pays staff $10 (AUD) per day if they commute by cycle or public transport, the scheme has been in operation for around 5 years now.

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robertoegg | 8 years ago
2 likes

I tried to bring this kind of idea to our workplace. We have a real problem with parking since consolidating a few different sites and they are asking for ideas to help. I suggested incentives to those that didn't contribute to the problem such as a small fee towards maintenance. A free breakfast or fruit. Evans vouchers. But it appears they are going to go with the dis-incentive option :o/

The trouble is, people are so happy to drive in their car, they would rather sit in a car for 1hr plus for a 10miles journey then opt for car-share, public transport, bike... I, on the other hand, can't be doing with sitting in a queue so I bike most every day. Back roads, it's 12 miles. Takes 40 mins. 35 if I 'smash' it, 45 if I pootle. On fixed or geared pretty much the same. I just wish more people would take it up...

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vinnychoff replied to robertoegg | 8 years ago
1 like

I am with you and as you say there is always a reluctance to cycle. the more ways that are offered the more chance of moving people. hope your company changes. maybe wait until the summer to start it off again?

 

robertoegg wrote:

 

I tried to bring this kind of idea to our workplace. We have a real problem with parking since consolidating a few different sites and they are asking for ideas to help. I suggested incentives to those that didn't contribute to the problem such as a small fee towards maintenance. A free breakfast or fruit. Evans vouchers. But it appears they are going to go with the dis-incentive option :o/

The trouble is, people are so happy to drive in their car, they would rather sit in a car for 1hr plus for a 10miles journey then opt for car-share, public transport, bike... I, on the other hand, can't be doing with sitting in a queue so I bike most every day. Back roads, it's 12 miles. Takes 40 mins. 35 if I 'smash' it, 45 if I pootle. On fixed or geared pretty much the same. I just wish more people would take it up...

Avatar
CXR94Di2 | 8 years ago
1 like

Less NO, particulates, congestion. More productive, healthier with less time taken off due to ilness. And if they are like me, I get a great mental lift from cycling/ exercising

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Rupert | 8 years ago
1 like

Is any city in the Uk doing this?

I could see it benefiting many people if it was set up here. 

Of course Councils in the UK might worry that they would lose out on car parking fees. That's one negative how do we promote this to a council ?

Any ideas ?

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