06-14-2018, 06:24 PM
(06-14-2018, 12:02 PM)robdrimmie Wrote: Tom, one option to support cyclists in inclement weather might be bus tickets (or a fare card that the corporation replenishes, once they're widely available). I worked at one very flexible employer who bent over backwards once I gave up my parking pass. They bought me monthly bus passes in the winter (which were somewhere around 60% the cost of parking in their area) and would let me expense tickets for the months I rode more than not.
The University of California Irvine has a system where you can opt for part-time parking as a benefit: you get a scratch card which works for, say, 30 days a year or something. (They also have much less inclement weather and also many faculty who live in Irvine housing). Flexible solutions which make parking more expensive are possible and probably a win over today's situation.
(06-14-2018, 12:02 PM)robdrimmie Wrote: It would be great if such stipends for active transportation weren't considered taxable benefits. Everywhere I've worked that has to report parking as a line item for individuals, the people have complained about it being a taxable benefit. Making alternatives more appealing through reduced taxation may be an incentive for some to switch.
Yes, although it might be hard to have the stipend not a taxable benefit in a world where parking is required to be a taxable benefit. A group deal on transit might be not a benefit, but deciding things like that is not my expertise.