£50,000 to ride a bike?

Crazy thought.

There's a lot of talk about incentivising or rewarding people for leading more sustainable lives.  Instead of a rather unappealing nanny state in which we're penalised for 'not doing the right thing', how about patting us on the back when we do?

Here's the idea.

One day every month a random cyclist somewhere in the congestion charge zone would receive a very nice surprise.  Lorraine Kelly would pop up from behind a pillar box and swoop on an unsuspecting cyclist, camera crew in tow, brandishing a huge out-size charity check.  Yes, that cyclist will have just won £50,000!

Totally bonkers?  Let's work through it a little:

A ridiculous sum of money?  It is a lot, but over a year that would amount to £600,000.  In terms of TfL's budget, it's chicken feed.  Even in terms of cycling budgets it's not that huge.

Who would pay?  Perhaps you could get a sponsor for each month.  One month it could be Evans Cycles, the next Trek bikes.  TfL might sponsor another, and even someone like Pret a Manger or Innocent drinks could probably be persuaded. 

Would it work?  I don't know, but I think it might.  There is a whole cohort of potential cyclists out there who are just waiting for that trigger point which snaps them out of their longstanding state of inaction.  They want to start cycling, know they have friends very like them who cycle, but haven't quite motivated themselves to take the plunge.

A load of amateur cyclists would invade central London? This is a risk, and you'd need all sorts of supporting advice on safe cycling.  Perhaps on prize days Ken could also impose a 20mph speed limit?

But cycling's already on the increase in London?  True, but from a very low base.  We're still nowhere near the levels of cycling in some continental cities.  And until you get that critical mass of cyclists on the road it's very difficult to persuade the less confident cyclists that it's really an option for them.

I'm sure I missing all sorts of other pitfalls here.  But might there be something in it?  Imagine the joy you would bring to 12 people over a year.  Merely for cycling.

Just a thought.  Now how could we get such a scheme to work for walkers...?