30 pence per mile cash to cycle to work - how about it?

Milan aims to boost sustainable transport on its crowded streets by paying people cash to cycle to work. In common with many of the world’s cities, the Italian industrial centre is blighted by dangerous levels of pollution.

An app will monitor a person’s travelling speed, to check whether they are really cycling to work – although the snail’s pace of rush hour journeys by car could make this harder than it seems.

A recent scheme in France saw workers paid the equivalent of 30 pence per mile if they commuted by bike. The sign-up rate was modest, which may be a reflection of the amount paid.

At one of its sites in Surrey, the pharmaceutical giant Pfizer was granted planning permission for 475 car parking spaces – far fewer than it wanted. In response, the company was obliged to set stringent green transport goals, including targets for use of public transport and car sharing. Pfizer pays £5 per day to those who cycle.

Pay-to-ride schemes are not a panacea. However, in the chicken-and-egg scenario that sees people encouraged to cycle on polluted streets in order to tackle polluted streets, putting cash in people’s pockets can be a useful catalyst.

Government cash to cycle

• British cyclists can claim up to 20 pence per mile for business-related cycling, but this excludes commuting
• Cycle to Work is a salary sacrifice scheme allows tax payers a discount of up to 50% on a bike’s retail price

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