Pedestrians and cyclists receive “reverse toll money” in Norway

Iwannahurl

As part of Norway’s ongoing European Mobility Week celebrations, around 10,000 NOK (€1,200) was handed out in the town of Lillestrøm to pedestrians and cyclists in “reverse toll money”. The money symbolised the health benefits of walking and cycling, including better fitness, improved air quality and more efficient transport.

Cyclists received around €12, while pedestrians gained €11. Calculations carried out by the Norwegian Directorate of Health shows that active transport provides the state with a saving of 52 NOK (€6) per kilometer for pedestrians and 26 NOK (€3) per kilometer for cyclists. An average bike trip in Norway is 4 kilometers, providing a health benefit of 100 NOK (€12), while an average walking trip is 1.7 km, worth almost 90 NOK (€11).

Obviously it's a PR stunt for European Mobility Week 2014, but all the same it's good to put the spotlight on the economic benefits of active travel.

Number of cities/towns officially participating:

Ireland (pop 4.5 million): 2
Norway (pop 5 million): 16
Austria (pop 8.5 million): 532

Also of interest imo is the EU Commission's fairly low key "Do the Right Mix" campaign.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFeSrG7gjvU

Mucco

Reminds me of when I worked for a large American multinational in SE England. We used to get £2/day if we didn't use the carpark. It didn't amount to much after tax etc, but the gesture was nice.

monument

Car free day is working out great today...