Cargo bikes deliver faster and cleaner than vans, study finds

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wjfox
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Cargo bikes deliver faster and cleaner than vans, study finds

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Cargo bikes deliver faster and cleaner than vans, study finds

Thu 5 Aug 2021 06.00 BST

Electric cargo bikes deliver about 60% faster than vans in city centres, according to a study. It found that bikes had a higher average speed and dropped off 10 parcels an hour, compared with six for vans.

The bikes also cut carbon emissions by 90% compared with diesel vans, and by a third compared with electric vans, the report said. Air pollution, which is still at illegal levels in many urban areas, was also significantly reduced.

Home deliveries have soared in recent years, spurred by online shopping and the coronavirus pandemic. Vans can travel along clear stretches of road at higher speeds than cargo bikes but are slowed by congestion and the search for parking. Cargo bikes bypass traffic jams, take shortcuts through streets closed to through traffic and ride to the customers door.

Carbon emissions from transport have barely fallen in the past decade and pose a significant challenge for the UK in meeting its targets to combat the climate crisis. The government recently announced a 30% rise in funding to make cycling and walking easier. The report’s authors said the government should consider cutting the VAT rate on cargo bike deliveries and allow more powerful e-bikes to be used.

“Recent estimates from Europe suggest that up to 51% of all freight journeys in cities could be replaced by cargo bike,” said Ersilia Verlinghieri at the Active Travel Academy at the University of Westminster and lead author of the report.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/ ... tudy-finds


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An electric cargo bike delivers flowers in south London. Photograph: Gill Allen/Rex/Shutterstock
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funkervogt
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Re: Cargo bikes deliver faster and cleaner than vans, study finds

Post by funkervogt »

Autonomous delivery vehicles will come in many shapes and sizes in the future. The smallest ones will be the sizes of single-person microcars whose footprints are no larger than the cargo bike shown in the photo. Since they won't be tasked with transporting humans, they won't have seats, steering wheels, pedals, or any safety features. They will be very cheap to make as a result. I imagine such vehicles would be used for local deliveries only, of things like pizzas, groceries, and smaller items.
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Re: Cargo bikes deliver faster and cleaner than vans, study finds

Post by PrometheusUnbound »

Over here in The Netherlands cargo bikes are starting to scale up, at least in the cities. The idea is to develop transport hubs on the edge of downtown, bring goods there by truck and do the last mile by cargo bike. It's a zero emission solution, makes the city centers more livable, and protects fragile historic bridges and quays from being destroyed by heavy vehicles (big issue in NL).

Still some challenges though:
- a fleet of cargo bikes needs more drivers than a fleet of vans. Unless the speed advantage of cargo bikes is big enough to cancel out their smaller size. AV's would solve that issue.
- logistics companies have been investing in regional distribution centers that service multiple cities rather than just one. They're too far from any one city to reach by cargo bike. This would become a sunk cost if you were to switch fully to cargo bikes. It takes a big rethink for how these companies plan their routes. Some are intrinsically motivated, others would need strong incentives to get them to switch.
- the trend for goods delivery is towards faster and faster delivery, like same-day delivery or even one-hour delivery. I'm guessing that would be harder with cargo bikes than with dedicated vans, but I may be wrong.

My guess: by 2030 cargo bikes will have a big market share in dense and/or historic city centers. Outside of those areas it will mostly be electric vans and trucks.
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