Recent research carried out by the Central Economic Council (CCE) and the National Labour Council (CNT) shows that some 15% of Belgian employees received a bicycle allowance for their commutes to and from work.
However, obstacles remain that stand in the way of the rise of bicycle use for commuting.
Last year, €107 million was allocated by companies on bicycle allowances for 631,604 employees. This represented a 55% increase in beneficiaries over the previous five years.
However, the CCE and CNT noted that "nearly three in ten employees live within five kilometres of their workplace" and saw this as an indication that the number of cyclists could increase.
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To that end, both highlighted that companies have limited influence over many of the barriers to cycling, such as poor road safety, long commutes, and bad weather.
But they stated that companies can still play an essential role by "offering particular cycling infrastructure, such as appropriate bicycle parking places, changing rooms, and showers." Measures already in place to ease access to cycling could be promoted more, they add.
