Switching freight from vans onto electric cargo bikes in city centres could yield 60% faster delivery times, according to a new study, with significant reductions in emissions also expected.
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Climate charity Possible and the University of Westminster’s Active Travel Academy calculated the finding after taking GPS data from cargo bike routes used by courier Pedal Me in London and comparing them to paths that vans would have to take to deliver the same parcels.
While vans can travel along clear stretches of road at higher speeds than cargo bikes, they are more likely to be affected by congestion, traffic restrictions and the difficulty of finding parking in London, the study explains. Cargo bikes on the other hand benefit from dedicated cycle lanes and are able to take more short cuts through streets blocked to motor traffic.
Active Travel Academy senior research fellow Dr Ersilia Verlinghieri said: “With recent estimates from Europe suggesting that up to 51% of all freight journeys in cities could be replaced by cargo bike, it’s remarkable to see that if even just a portion of this shift were to happen in London, it would be accompanied by not only dramatic reduction in CO2 emissions, but also contribute to a considerable mitigation of risks from air pollution and road traffic collisions while ensuring an efficient, fast and reliable urban freight system.”
The study includes an estimate that by expanding e-cargo bike services to replace 10% of the van kilometres currently driven in London, as much as 133,300t of CO2 and 190,000kg of NOx could be saved per year.
Key recommendations include that the Government should create a strategy for urban non motorised freight distribution and make long term investments in segregated and wide cycle lanes needed to support cargo bike services.
The report adds that user charging mechanisms such as road pricing or clean air zones should be introduced to discourage ‘unnecessary use of motor based logistics’, while cities are urged to support cargo bike trial schemes.
“Delivery vans contribute significantly to worsening air quality and take up valuable space on our roads,” said Possible’s head of car free cities Hirra Khan Adeogun. "We’ve seen home deliveries skyrocket during the Covid lockdowns and that trend is likely to continue.
“We urgently need to put on the brakes and re-evaluate how goods move through our cities; cargo bikes are one solution that we need to get behind.”
(Photograph: Pedal Me)
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