WRITTEN QUESTION E-2078/99

by Mary Banotti (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(12 November 1999)

Subject: Incentives to use bicycles

Can the Commission tell me what incentives, schemes or guidelines exist, if any, to encourage the use of bicycles for employees in the public sector in particular or indeed in the private sector?

Is the Commission aware that some state funded companies encourage by financial incentive, the ownership and use of the private motor car, whereas no such incentives are offered to cyclists?

Can the Commission tell me if there are any proposals to investigate the promotion of incentives for the use of the bicycle by, for example, looking at a mileage allowance in work related trips?

Answer given by Mrs de Palacio on behalf of the Commission

(20 December 1999)

The Commission appreciates that employers have a key role to play in promoting sustainable mobility by encouraging staff to make greater use of alternatives to private cars, such as walking, cycling, public transport and car sharing(1).

In line with the principle of subsidiarity, authorities and employers in the Member States must take the lead in matters of local and regional transport. Therefore, the Community has adopted no incentives, schemes or guidelines on this subject.

The Commission does not presently hold the data that would allow it to answer the Honourable Member's questions. However, it has initiated two projects that will provide relevant information in the future. It recently commissioned a study of unconventional forms of charging and taxation to support public transport, and taxation (dis)-incentives in commuter transport. This study is due to report in spring 2000. It will summarise how Member States' taxation systems affect incentives for individuals to choose different forms of transport to work, and for employers to help them with their travel arrangements -including bicycle use. In partnership with six member states, the Commission has established the European platform on mobility management (EPOMM). This will share good practice on how public and private organisations are encouraging sustainable transport patterns among employees and visitors. This information will be made available via the internet.

To help transport authorities, operators and user groups find out about good practice in local and regional transport, the Commission also sponsors the European local transport information service (Eltis) (www.eltis.org). This includes more than three hundred case studies, of which several like the Helsinki cycling strategy and the Nottingham Commuter Planners Club deal with initiatives which aim to promote cycle

commuting. The Commission has recently published the manual Cycling: the way ahead for towns and cities(2).

This publication for local decision makers presents various examples of good practices in the field of bicycle promotion and underlines the advantages to the business community of promoting bicycle use.

In its own capacity as an employer, the Commission is promoting, through its green housekeeping policy of 1997, the use of sustainable forms of transport as an alternative to private cars. As part of this policy, it is creating cycle parking spaces in staff car parks, with internal cycle paths, taking space away from car parking. So far, 250 of these spaces have been provided.

(1) See communication Developing the Citizens' Network: COM(98) 431 final.

(2) ISBN: 92-828-5725-5 Catalogue No: CR-17-98-693-FR-C.