Norwegian Cyclists Pedal Toward Vacation Time
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden 
on 01.11.08
Road Administration's vision of a safe (and vacation-happy) Norwegian cyclist
Norway's Public Roads Administration (southern region) is giving its own employees a vacation subsidy if they travel to work on their bicycles. For each week or five-day period that an employee rides a bike - or walks - to and from the office, Statens Vegvesen will compensate with four hours of vacation time. When the cyclist rides an entire year to work, that's equivalent to an extra week of (paid) vacation. The Administration points to increased health benefits to cyclists, but also is using the incentive to decrease road congestion.
In Denmark meanwhile, the Socialist Folkparty, one of the country's larger political groups, is proposing to offer cyclists almost two Danish crowns per commuting kilometer ($.36). Who knows how far the proposal may get: cycle-happy Copenhagen is considering banning heavy trucks from the inner city and is installing sensor-driven lights to alert vehicles to cyclists, but deputy mayor for environmental issues was criticized (though the Lady Mayor seems supportive) for his proposal to remove cars from one of the city's major arteries, Nørrebrogade, to make more room for cyclists and pedestrians. Thanks, Cycleliciousness, for the tip.
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An excellent idea, but I think the maths is out a little. If I rode a bike to work for 20 days then I would be entitled to 16 hours of vacation time. Assuming an 8 hour working day thats 2 days. Therefore over the course of a year I would accumulate in the region of 24 days? Which would be an excellent incentive.
Wonderful incentive!
What a rip off!
If you ride for a week you are supposed to get 4 hours of vacation. Therefore, if you ride for 50 weeks, that is 200 hours of vacation time owed, which is 25 8-hour workdays.
But they only give you 5 days of extra vacation!
Either the article is incorrect or the hardcore year-round cyclists are getting screwed.
Norwegians already receive 5 - 6 weeks paid vacation, so they don't get commute or accrue time for that - I think the calculation for the year-round cyclists is roughly based on days worked...roughly.
let's see ... by that factor 4 hours for every week of riding or walking I'd have about an extra 1 week of vacation.
This is a great idea!
Brennan
I think they already have at least a month's vacation - probably more. Add in the days in winter when it isn't possible to bike and most people probably only earn about a week extra vacation.
Gee, I ride to work all year round (NYC) and at work they just tell me I "smell funny", "isn't it too hot/cold/rainy/congested/dangerous/time-consuming/suicidal/etc..."
I ask them how their subway ride was. I ask them what they pay for that 'express' bus ride. When was the last time they went to the gym.
I should print this article and send it in with my taxes or show my HR person.
Good Luck,
vsk
Marie and April:
Your math is almost as bad as the Norwegians!
To accrue one 40-hour week of vacation requires 10 weeks of riding.
Therefore, workers who ride for only the five warmest months should be getting two weeks of extra vacation.
At this rate, whether Norwegian civil servants get one week or eight weeks of alloted vacation is moot-- bicycle commuters are still getting ripped off according to the system reported in the article.
I guess I still feel the cyclists come out ahead of the car-driving commuters no matter how you slice it!
In Scandinavian countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway) lots of people have bicycled for decades to/from work. The reason is partly because of 200% taxes on cars and gas. That also helps keep people lean.
Now, in our country of the obese we might want to see 200% taxes on cars and gas as a positive thing.
if people bicycled in America=less pollution=less obese and disease=less health care cost
If people paid 200% taxes on cars=less pollution and state budget would balance+money for buying wind turbines=less imported oil and reduction of trade deficit.
Only corrupt politicans are keeping the im-balances status quo.