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Leading The Way \u2013 The Netherlands<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In fact, they’re even paying people to do it. As was\nannounced in late 2018, the Dutch government will spend about \u20ac390 million on\ncycling infrastructure in an attempt to encourage 200,000 more people to cycle<\/a>\nto and from work by 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fifteen routes are set to become \u2018cyclist freeways’ to provide better provision for those who want ride their bikes<\/a>, while 25,000 further parking spaces for bicycles will be made and in excess of 60 storage facilities will be improved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCycling is good for reducing congestion, it’s good for air\nquality in cities, and it’s good for the health<\/a> of people themselves,\u201d secretary\nof state for infrastructure Stientje van Veldhoven, who is behind the project, told\nHuffPost<\/a>.\n\u201cAnd it can save money \u2014 you can save hundreds of euros a year. So there is a\nbig advantage for your wallet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Currently, there is indeed great benefits for your income if\nyou’re a cyclist in the Netherlands. Since 2006, some businesses have rewarded bike-riding\ncommuters with tax<\/a> credits of \u20ac0.19 per kilometre, whereby the distance of the\ncycling route is agree upon by companies and their employees. So, if you cycled\n10 kilometres each day for five days a week, you can earn about \u20ac450 a year\nfrom the scheme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But whilst, as mentioned already, one-quarter of trips in\nthe Netherlands are made by bike, only 25 per cent of those are commutes,\nwhereas 37 per cent were made for leisure cycling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to van Veldhoven, more than half of the people in\nthe Netherlands live less than 15 kilometres from their workplace, and more\nthan half of their car journeys are under 7.5 kilometres long; which “can\neasily be covered by bike,” she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And, of course, getting another 200,000 people cycling in\nthe Netherlands would have far more advantages than just improving the lifestyle\nand fitness of its residents. A 2010 study by NASA found that cars are the\nworld’s biggest contributor of climate change pollution. With that in mind, the\nscheme should also do much not only to also ease traffic problems, but to limit\npollutant gases emitted from cars, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Indeed, while the Netherlands may be spearheading this\nproject, they’re far from alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, in January 2019, Bari, Italy announced it\nwould give cyclists \u20ac0.21 for every kilometre they cycled to work<\/a>, though their\nscheme, as funded by the government, is capped at about \u20ac25 a month. They are also\noffering up to roughly \u20ac155 towards buying a new bike or \u20ac255 for a new e-bike<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And elsewhere in Italy, in November 2015, the council in the\ntown of Massarosa (just north of Pisa) introduced a pilot scheme paying\ncyclists \u20ac0.25 per kilometre travelled, up to a monthly cap of \u20ac50.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, in In France, commuters can claim \u20ac0.25 per kilometre, up to a yearly cap of just above the \u20ac200 mark. It’s not wholly well-received though, with some questioning whether the end justifies the means with these fairly small rewards; indeed, a six-month trial period in the country, only enjoyed moderate success as best, with the number of regular cyclists only growing from 200 to 419 by the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/a\/a1\/Amsterdam_Cycling_4.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWho Is Following The Dutch’s Lead?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n