When the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency released its evaluation of the electric bike premium on Tuesday, the figures showed its clear language. Few cyclists in the north have used the premium, something Ekot was the first to report.
The lowest interest was in Åsele and Haparanda, where only 1.4 applications per 1000 inhabitants had been received. More specifically, only four Åselebor had shown interest in the prize. Even in Dorotea, the figure was low, where only five people had submitted an application.
"There is not the same cycling culture in the north"What this difference is due to in southern Sweden is not entirely clear, according to Erik Geijer at the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency's investigative unit.
- We guess that the cycling culture is simply not as widespread in the northern country, there is not the same cycling culture in the north. What we can see, on the other hand, is that there seems to be no difference between sparsely populated municipalities and big cities, ”says Geijer.
The electric bicycle premium was applied for in 2018 and was paid to 94,000 Swedes.