Forwarded to me by reader Tom Hewitt, this is an article from the online edition of the German magazine Der Spiegel — the premise behind the program is to boost local bicycle sales and get more people out of cars:
Germany’s scrapping bonus for old cars has proved so popular that the city of Mannheim is offering it for old bicycles. Campaigners hope the move will encourage people to ditch their cars and hop on bikes to help save the environment.
Inspired by the controversial “scrapping bonus” for old cars that the German government launched in January, up to 200 Mannheim residents can collect a bounty on their old bikes starting May 2.
The program is a joint initiative between the city government and nonprofit organization Biotopia, which offers job training for the unemployed and for disadvantaged youth.
The old bikes, which have to be in more or less rideable condition, will be collected at Biotopia’s workshop at the Mannheim main train station and refurbished. The money for the premium comes out of the Mannheim municipal budget.
To read the rest of the article, please visit Spiegel Online.
Popularity: 8% [?]
