Car owners in France could soon be offered Euro 2,500 to trade-in their aging vehicle for a new electric bicycle.
The innovative incentive to switch from petrol to pedal power has just been given the green-light by the National Assembly, the lower house of the French Parliament. Politicians approved the measure in a preliminary vote as part of an amendment to the country's draft climate bill.
Previous vehicle scrappage schemes have encouraged motorists to purchase a new, more environmentally-friendly car or van in exchange for scrapping an older, more polluting vehicle.
However, if adopted, it is believed that the French "bikes for bangers" scheme would be the first such initiative to actively encourage people to switch modes of transport.
France may be about to take the yellow jersey in becoming the first country in the world to offer people cash for swapping four wheels for two. Only time will tell if the UK and a peloton of other countries will race to introduce similar measures to reduce vehicle emissions.
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