“Reverse toll” for Norwegian Bikers

Man. Europe just keeps looking better and better. First, Latvian bike taxis. Then, rush hour in the Netherlands with nearly everyone on a bike. And now Norway is paying a reverse toll to people who walk or bike? It’s true! From the article on Co.EXIST:

A few weeks ago, as cyclists and pedestrians passed a certain point on the main street in the town of Lillestrøm, Norway, they were pulled over by local officials–not to be ticketed or warned about wearing a bike helmet, but to be handed cash.

The town was experimenting with a “reverse toll”: Everyone commuting without a car was given a 100 kroner bill, or about $15.

“The reverse toll points out an important fact–that getting people to walk and cycle is profitable for the society,” says Lillestrøm mayor Ole Jacob Flætene. “It is beneficial for our health, for the environment, and for the transport system.”

What do you think it would take for a policy like this to get implemented in Jacksonville?

Photo credit: wstera2 / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA

Yeah, that’s what I thought.