Nothing as Dutch as cycling. Although we think a little differently about that when we have to go to work. The endless traffic jams on the Brabant highways prove that every day. KPN is trying to do something about this and is raising the kilometer allowance for cyclists considerably. “More companies should do that,” says Etienne Lataster of the OnsBrabantFietst club.
From now on, 10,000 KPN employees will receive no less than 40 euro cents net per kilometer if they come to work by bicycle. With this, the telecom company wants to encourage employees to leave the car at home more often.
“If you cycle a lot, you could even earn money from it,” a spokesman said to the NOS. There are still employees of the company who make use of car lease arrangements, but there are fewer and fewer. “And that fits well with our sustainability plans.”
A smart move, according to Etienne Lataster. “They convey this very well. That’s smart marketing. KPN shows how important sustainability is to them.”
“It’s an opportunity to distinguish yourself as a good employer.”
OnsBrabantFietst wants more people to cycle to work and brings this to the attention of companies. It is therefore not surprising that Lataster is enthusiastic about what KPN is doing now. He thinks more companies should follow suit.
“5 to 6 percent of companies in Brabant now give a higher kilometer allowance for the bicycle than for the car. This way you can show that you are a good employer,” says Lataster, who realizes that there is still a world to be won.
According to him, this is also evident from the following figures. In the Netherlands, most people live less than 15 kilometers from their work. And 50 percent of all car journeys to work are made by people who live no more than 7.5 kilometers away. That can be done differently, according to Lataster. “For many people, taking the car to work is mainly a convenience.”
“With fast cycle paths, cycling from A to B becomes much more attractive.”
To do something about this, the province and various municipalities have been building fast cycle paths for years. These are wide avenues of up to four meters wide with brand new, smooth asphalt. There are currently less than ten of those fast cycle paths in Brabant. But in the coming years, a whole network must be created. Lataster: “Cycling from A to B then becomes much more attractive. Especially if you’re on an e-bike or speed pedelec you can be somewhere quickly.”
To show that people actually want to cycle, Lataster points to a bike challenge of ‘Brainport Accessible’. This organization donates 10 euros to the Longfonds for every 500 kilometers that participants cycle. Since the start of the campaign in May, 530,000 kilometers have already been cycled.
Are the traffic jams a thing of the past with this? No, Lataster also knows. “But you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to realize that car congestion will decrease if people take the bicycle more often. If everyone goes to work by bike one day a week instead of by car, that will save a lot.”
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