News and press releases

01Sep
2020

Carlo van de Weijer: "The bicycle has some fundamental advantages that cannot be ignored!"

Carlo van de Weijer: "The bicycle has some fundamental advantages that cannot be ignored!"

When you think of the future of mobility, the first thing you think of is probably electric, self-driving vehicles, or perhaps even ‘flying cars’. But is there a place for the e-bike in the mobility policy of the future? We spoke with Carlo van de Weijer, Head of Smart Mobility at Eindhoven University of Technology.

People probably don’t immediately associate the name Carlo van de Weijer with bicycles. Is that correct?

“No, absolutely not! I’m a big proponent of the bicycle. There are some interesting developments underway that will make them even more popular. For example, the introduction of the e-bike has doubled the distance you can effectively travel, and apps such as Buienradar can help you arrive at your destination or home again without getting wet. The mode of transportation also has many advantages over other modes. I think that there will be three modes of transportation that will ‘win’ in the future: airplanes, cars and bicycles.”

What do you think are the bicycle’s advantages over other modes of transport?

“The bicycle of the future will be a bit more advanced than it is today. By that I mean they’ll be more comfortable, and we’ll make them even safer. But the bicycle already has some fundamental advantages that cannot be ignored. The government has two main reasons for encouraging bicycles.

Mobility is increasingly becoming a ‘battle for space’. Bicycles can make a positive contribution to that, because bike paths can carry a lot of people in any direction at any time of the day. A bus lane or a tram line can’t compete with that, in part because of the distances between stops. The space efficiency of a bicycle is virtually impossible to beat.

Another reason for encouraging bicycles is the fact that it’s cheap for the government. Mobility costs the government a lot of money; both for the construction of infrastructure, and for the social costs resulting from accidents, pollution and traffic. At the bottom line, the negative effects of cars are paid back to the government by means of taxes and duties. Public transport is a huge negative business case, which costs the government billions per year. The bicycle needs infrastructure too, but since travelling by bike makes the population healthier, it actually saves the government money due to lower health costs and higher productivity. Those reasons give the bicycle a bright future.”

Studies conducted by ALD Automotive among the working Dutch population show that 70% are open to the idea of a lease bike. So should employers also stimulate the use of bicycles or e-bikes?

“Yes, I understand why employees are open to the idea. And leasing is an excellent option for e-bikes. An e-bike presents certain unpredictable factors, such as the possibility of the battery wearing out, which makes it reassuring to be able to fall back on a lease structure. It may sound like a cliché, but employees who cycle are healthier employees than employees who don’t. That saves employers money in the long term. It’s often overlooked, but you can easily calculate the economic utility. In general, a fit employee calls in sick one day less per year, on average. That can vary a bit per profession, but the average sick leave is 2 to 2.5% per year, so a half percent is a significant difference.”

There are some fiscal issues related to having your employer buy you a bicycle. How would you deal with that?

“Tax regulations isn’t my field of expertise. But perhaps we should consider getting rid of the compensation for commuting costs. Right now, you’re actually encouraged to live far away from your job and to travel by car, because you can deduct those costs from your taxes. Eliminating the compensation would encourage people to make choices based on the costs. And in that case, they’ll be more likely to choose to travel by bicycle. But companies can’t do that themselves, so it’s more of a job for the government.”

Finally; what could we be doing to promote bicycles as a way to get to and from work?

“At the moment, we hear a lot in the press about a helmet requirement for e-bikes. I think that would discourage people from cycling, and it would hurt more than it would help. What we should do is facilitate cyclists more by creating space for them. Traffic on bike paths has exploded during the coronavirus pandemic, and the popularity of the e-bike will only make it worse in the future. But the more cyclists there are on the streets, the more drivers will pay attention to them. So you could argue for creating more space for the cyclists, for example by shifting the road markings.”

Would you like to know more about what a company-financed bicycle could do for your company and your employees? If so, our mobility advisors would be happy to discuss all of the (fiscal) options available. Feel free to contact us via e-mail at: info.nl@aldautomotive.com or call us at: +31 (0)20 658 70 00.
 

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