The Business of Mobility: Dutch National Police promote cycling

The Business of Mobility is a series of articles featuring business leaders in sustainable mobility. Q&A with Leander Witjes (Senior Adviser for promoting cycling at the Dutch National Police) and Ross Douglas (Founder at Autonomy).?

The Dutch National Police are promoting cycling, both for commuting and for policing activities. The Dutch government’s program to promote cycling includes 25 major organizations and companies (including the police) as ‘bicycle ambassadors’. Ross spoke to Leander Witjes who leads the police in their efforts to promote bike and e-bike use.?

Ross:?What prompted the Dutch National Police to commit to sustainable mobility??

Leander:?One of the goals for the organization is to reduce CO2 by 60% by 2030, and to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. About 70%-80% of our emissions are caused by mobility, so it’s an obvious place to start. Consider that the National Police employs 70,000 people (62,500 full-time equivalents); we are one of the Netherlands’ biggest employers and therefore we have an important role to play in reducing emissions from mobility.?

Ross:?Particularly for commuting. How do your employees get to work and back??

Leander: We have always been a car-driven organization, so to speak. My job as a cycling promoter for the National Police is to change that. Our research showed that 37% of our employees live within 12 kms of their workplace. This is the low-hanging fruit for us to promote cycling among this group and bring our emissions down.?

Ross:?What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in doing so??

Leander:?Police officers face threats of intimidation and doxing (threats to privacy). It’s easier to follow someone home if they are on a bike as opposed to a car. Also, female officers could be vulnerable to cycling home late at night. So, security is a concern we need to be sensitive about. But there are other concerns, like weather, which are based on a misconception. We think of the Netherlands as a rainy country, but only 8% of the days in the year have any chance of rain. So, it’s about changing perceptions and promoting good commuting habits.?

Ross: How do you make it easier for people to adopt cycling? Leander: We follow the recommendations of the European Cyclists’ Federation (an umbrella organization to promote cycling) which involves ensuring our places of work (e.g. police stations) have showers, docking areas, bike-parking, repair areas, etc. to facilitate bike use. In 2022 the Dutch National Police earned a Gold Level Cycle-Friendly Certification from the federation for work achieved in this area.?

Ross: And incentives??

Leander: Yes, we have various incentive programs, everything from tax breaks and cheap loans to buy bikes, through to prizes for selfies on a bike, and a cycling course with a well-known ex-professional cyclist. Thanks to special subsidies we offer, some of our employees find they can save up to 5,000 Euro by switching from car to bike.?

Ross: Have you seen a growing interest in cycling since you started the program??

Leander:?We started around five years back when we had 1,900 people coming forward to take advantage of cycling subsidies; that figure is now over 7,000. So, we’re talking about a three-fold plus increase in interest.?

Ross:?Besides lowering emissions are you seeing other benefits, like for example health??

Leander:?Studies show that cycling daily if only for 30 minutes, reduces annual sick leave by 1.3 days. Consider that 37% of our workforce (about 28,000 people) could cycle to work, then we’re talking 180 full-time equivalent employees. Which is like saving you on the salaries of 180 people. Plus, we all know about the joys of cycling and how therapeutic it is to end work with an activity that gives you a break from your everyday cares.?

Ross:?We’ve talked about commuting, but what about bike patrols??

Leander:?Bikes are good for bringing the policeman closer to the people, and in some areas, an e-bike is as fast and effective as being in a car. So, depending on the use case, our policy is to encourage patrols by bike, rather than vehicle.?

Ross:?Thank you for your time and good luck with this worthy initiative.